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AUTOMATIC PISTOL SHOOTING 





AUTOMATIC PISTOLS 



AUTOMATIC 
PISTOL SHOOTING 

TOGETHER WITH INFORMATION ON 

HANDLING THE DUELLING PISTOL 

AND REVOLVER 



BY 

WALTER WINANS 

CHEVALIER OF THE IMPERIAL RUSSIAN ORDER OF ST. STANISLAUS 

COMMANDER OF THE ROYAL SPANISH ORDER OF ISABELLA THE CATHOLIC 

COMMANDER OF THE ROYAL ORDER OF THE CROWN OF RUMANIA 

OFFICER OF THE STAR OF RUMANIA 

OLYMPIC CHAMPION FOR DOUBLE-RIFLE SHOOTING IN 1908 

GOLD MEDALLIST FIFTH OLYMPIAD, STOCKHOLM, 1912 

REVOLVER CHAMPION, FIVE YEARS NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF 

GREAT BRITAIN 

SEVEN YEARS OF THE SOUTH LONDON RIFLE CLUB AND TEN YEARS OF THE 

NORTH LONDON RIFLE CLUB 

ONE YEAR DUELLING PISTOL CHAMPION AT GASTINNE-RENETTE'S, PARIS 

VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF GREAT BRITAIN 

MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL RIFLEMEN, LIFE 

MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION, LIFE 

MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES REVOLVER ASSOCIATION AND 

OF LE PISTOLET CLUB OF PARIS 

PRESIDENT OF ASHFORD RIFLE CLUB, ASHFORD MINIATURE RIFLE CLUB AND 

THE SURRENDEN MINIATURE RIFLE CLUB 



G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 

NEW YORK AND LONDON 

Ube iknicfterbocfter press 
1915 



<6 ^v 



Copyright, 19 iS 

BY 

WALTER WINANS 



/y^^ 



Ubc Iknfclicrbocfecr ipress, IRew l^orft 

MAR 2 1915 

©CIA391939 



PREFACE 

THOUGH my last edition of Hints on Revolver 
Shooting was published only four years ago, 
I find' it now necessary, owing to the advance of 
the automatic pistol, to revise it thoroughly and 
to add new chapters. 

Till quite recently, the automatic pistol had 
many defects, both as to balance and as to safety, 
chiefly in the latter respect, so that only a very 
careful expert could handle one without danger to 
the public and to himself. 

This has now been altered, and with safety 
bolts and external hammers several automatic 
pistols are quite safe for the use of experts. 

They are still very dangerous in the hands of 
ignorant persons; a revolver is dangerous enough 
in such cases but the automatic is much more 
so. 

I shall try to explain how any one possessing 
mechanical knowledge can, by observing certain 
precautions, safely carry and shoot an automatic 
pistol. Of course, some men who, for years, have 
shot small game, and who are good shots, are still 

iii 



IV Preface 

very careless in handling a gun. Such men should 
never touch an automatic pistol. 

I have made the above remarks as I do not want 
to be responsible for any accidents with auto- 
matics; and I advise any one not sure of him- 
self to confine himself to revolvers and single-shot 
pistols. 

• The automatic pistol is gradually replacing the 
revolver except as a gallery pistol. 

Up to the present no automatic pistol can shoot 
gallery, or light -charge, ammunition, and the full 
charge, because of the noise, is very impleasant in 
a shooting-gallery. 

It is a great pity that the .44 Smith & Wesson 
break-down model of revolver (shooting gallery 
ammunition) is no longer made, as it is still the 
best revolver for gallery shooting. 

M. Gastinne Renette, of 39 Avenue d'Antin, 
Paris, for his gallery, uses them still, together with 
his duelling pistols of the same calibre and powder 
charge. 

I mention this as he is the only dealer who can 
now supply the old Smith & Wesson revolvers. 

Walter Winans. 

17 Rue de Tervueren, 
Brussels, Belgium. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER , 

I. — The Automatic Pistol . 
11. — Selecting a Pistol 
III. — Cleaning and Care of Pistols 
IV. — Sights ..... 
V. — Learning to Shoot 
VL — Rapid Firing. 
VII. — Traversing Target 
VIII. — Gallery Shooting. 



IX. — Twenty- Yards Stationary Target 52 



X. — Disappearing Target . 
XI. — Stationary Fifty- Yards Target 
XII. — Team Shooting and Coaching 
XIII. — Shooting in Competitions . 
XIV. — Duelling .... 
XV. — Shooting off Horseback 



I 

5, 
10 

14 
21 

40 

43 

48 



61 

77 
79 
82 

85 
98 



vi Contents 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XVI. — Pistol Shooting for Ladies . 102 

XVI I. — Stage Shooting . . . .106 

XVIIL— Trick Shooting . . . .116 

XIX. — Shooting in Self-Defence . . 120 

XX. — Shooting in the Dark . .131 



Automatic Pistol Shooting 



CHAPTER I 

THE AUTOMATIC PISTOL 

THIS is the pistol of the future and the revolver 
has now to give place to it, just as the horse 
has to give place to the automobile for traction 
purposes. 

Still, like the horse, the revolver seems still to 
have before it a future for certain purposes, and 
one uses a revolver where one would not care to 
use an automatic pistol. 

The superiority of the revolver consists in its 
being adaptable to reduced charges and also in 
its being less complicated and less apt to be dis- 
charged accidentally by an ignorant person. 

At one time, the revolver was considered the 
most dangerous fire-arm in existence, but the au- 
tomatic far surpasses it in this respect. When 
the chambers of a revolver are emptied, it is harm- 



2 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

less; but when the magazine is taken out, after an 
automatic pistol has been charged, one cartridge 
still remains in the chamber. This has been the 
cause of several accidents ; a man thinks the pistol 
is safe after he has extracted the magazine. 

The automatic pistol is barred from gallery- 
shooting by the fact that the mechanism is oper- 
ated by the recoil from a full-charge cartridge only, 
and this full charge makes too much noise. 

I do not advise the purchase of any automatic 
pistol which does not have at least one safety bolt 
and which does not have also an external hammer. 

There are two makes which, from personal ex- 
perience, I can recommend; one is the Colt 45 
which has been adopted by the United States 
Government for army and navy purposes. This 
has a grip at the proper angle for shooting. Hardly 
any other automatic pistol is properly designed 
in this respect, their grips being too much at a 
right angle, so that the barrel tends to point too 
high, this creating a strain on the wrist, since the 
wrist must be held in an unnatural position. 

The Colt automatic of the U. S. Army pattern 
has a stock as pleasant to aim with as a duelling 
pistol. 

Next, it has a hammer which can be put to full 
and half cock, just like that of an ordinary pistol 
or revolver. 



The Automatic Pistol 3 

It has, besides, two safety appliances; one a 
slide which can be moved with the thumb just 
before firing, like the safety bolt of a shotgun, 
the other a safety bolt which is pressed by the palm 
of the hand in the act of squeezing the trigger, like 
that of the Smith & Wesson safety revolver, later 
described. 

The pistol is, therefore, as ''fool-proof as it 
seems possible to make it, but yet there is the 
danger of a cartridge being left in the chamber 
when the magazine is taken out. I again warn 
all shooters of automatic pistols to bear this 
fact constantly in mind whenever handling an 
automatic. 

However, I do not like the sights of this Colt 
automatic. The front sight is a black, upright, 
narrow rod when aiming, and the notch in the 
hind sight is far too small. This arrangement of 
sights may be all very well for deliberate aiming 
at a black bull's-eye on a white target, but it is of 
no use for practical shooting in a bad light. 

The front sight should be a ''shotgun'' silver 
"bead," and the hind sight a large '*U "-shaped 
notch that will show the full bead in it with a little 
to spare at the sides. 

With these alterations, I think the U. S. Regu- 
lation Colt automatic is the best automatic I 
know. , 



4 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

The Savage automatic is also very good, and 
I can confidently recommend it, especially for 
those who find the .45 Colt too large for their 
purpose. 

The following chapters on learning to shoot with 
the revolver and duelling pistol apply equally to 
the automatic pistol, except that the butts to be 
shot against should be more solid when using the 
automatic, owing to its penetration, and the shoot- 
ing with it should take place only out-of-doors, as 
the noise is very bad for indoors. 



CHAPTER II 

SELECTING A PISTOL 

YOU must first decide for what purpose you 
want the pistol; a ''general utility'' one is 
about as much use as a hunter who goes in har- 
ness — not much good for either purpose. If you 
want a hunter, buy an English hunter ; if a harness 
horse, buy an American trotter. In the same 
way, for whatever purpose you want a pistol, buy 
one, if by any means you can do so, especially for 
that purpose. Anyhow, it is useless to compete 
with a short-barrelled pocket automatic against 
target pistols. This class of pistol is intended 
only for self-defence at short range, and has no 
pretensions to accuracy. 

A long barrel theoretically gives greater accu- 
racy, especially at long range, owing to there be- 
ing more length to burn the powder in, and to 
the sights being farther apart, which minimizes 
error in aiming; but practically this advantage is 
more than cotmterbalanced by making the pistol 
heavy at the muzzle, so that it therefore balances 

5 



6 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

badly. The balance ought to be as near the 
trigger as possible. For a pocket pistol, a short 
barrel may be absolutely necessary for portability. 
In England some men use very long barrels, but 
I prefer shorter pistols, and I do not consider that 
anything over 73^2 inches is a ''Military'' revolver 
nor should it be permitted in military competitions. 

See that the trigger-pull is ''sweet,'' and has no 
"drag." Also, have your trigger-pull as light as 
can safely be used. The pull is often left by makers 
very heavy, so as to be alterable to suit customers, 
and the shopman may forget to have this altered. 
If you are not hampered by rules, about three or 
three and a half pounds is the best trigger-pull for 
general purposes. 

I do not like a double-action revolver, except 
for a pocket one, as it cannot do accurate 
shooting when cocking with the trigger. 

For a man whose hands are apt to get moist, 
roughing the trigger may prevent slipping; but 
it may also make the finger sore if roughed too 
sharp. 

Some pistols have too narrow a trigger, almost 
like a piece of wire; a wide, spoon-shaped trigger 
is best, as less likely to cut the finger, especially 
when coupled with a heavy trigger-pull. 

Get a pistol which, when you grip the stock 
properly, has the barrel and your arm as nearly in 



Selecting a Pistol 7 

a horizontal line as possible. Many makes of 
revolvers and automatic pistols have the stock 
much below the level of the barrel, which conse- 
quently is above the hand. This makes shooting 
more difficult; you are apt to cant the weapon to 
one side, and the recoil is more severe on your 
wrist. A man who holds a pistol properly does 
not need a big stock, even if he has a big hand. 

For rough work, and in strong sunlight, a pistol 
is best blued. I temporarily paint the rib, etc., 
when target shooting on sunny days, with '* sight- 
black." 

Revolver ammunition is usually made in the fol- 
lowing calibres: .32, .38, 41, 44, .45, .455. Most 
of these can be had loaded with various smoke- 
less powders, as King's semi-smokeless, Riflite, 
Cordite, Walsrode, etc. 

The Union Metallic Cartridge Company, U. S. 
A., have supplied me with great quantities of .44 
''gallery ammunition,'' loaded with both round 
and semi-round bullets. These have a small 
charge of black powder, and I should prefer this 
ammunition out of a Smith & Wesson Russian 
Model revolver for self-defence, as well as for 
competitions up to twenty yards, and I find it the 
most accurate for exhibition shooting. I believe 
most professional stage-shooters use it. It is a 
great pity this revolver is no longer made and 



8 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

can only be bought second-hand. If a second- 
hand one is otherwise good, a new barrel can be 
put to it. I suppose the various English makers 
of ammunition could supply ''gallery'' charges 
in any of their various calibre cartridges, but I 
know of none and should not advise the beginner 
to try loading this sort of ammunition in English 
cartridge-cases for himself. The dome of the 
cap is generally higher than in American cartridges ; 
if, therefore, the small powder charge used in gal- 
lery amtinition be put in the case and the bullet 
pressed down, the bullet will come down on the 
dome, stop up the flash-hole, and cause a misfire. 
The way to obviate this is to take a wad of suitable 
calibre, make a hole in the centre, and push the wad 
down to the bottom of the cartridge before putting 
in the powder, so as to fill up the base of the car- 
tridge and let the bullet ''seat'' on the powder, 
higher than the dome. Makers can do this proper- 
ly, but an amateur may put the wad in too loosely, 
and a little powder get under the wad. The 
result would be that, on the shot being fired, 
the wad would be driven half-way up the barrel, 
and might at the next shot cause a burst. 

Be sure to use only low-pressure powder, if you 
use smokeless, as high-pressure powders are 
dangerous in a "break-down" action revolver. 
Gallery ammunition in a .38 new model solid 



Selecting a Pistol 9 

frame Smith & Wesson revolver gives good 
shooting. 

Many people do not understand this difference 
in powder pressure, and injure their revolvers 
by experimenting with what become practically 
*' blasting'' instead of propelling charges. 



CHAPTER III 

CLEANING AND CARE OF PISTOLS 

ALWAYS clean your pistol the moment you 
have finished shooting. If you leave it over 
till the next day, you may as well throw it away 
as expect to win prizes with it. 

The larger the calibre, the easier it is to clean 
and the less chance is there of spoiling the rifling 
by jamming the rod in it. I prefer wooden rods 
as less apt to spoil the rifling, but the very narrow 
calibres require a metal rod (soft metal for prefer- 
ence), as the wood would have to be too thin and 
would be liable to break in the bore. 

Clean from the breech, not the muzzle end if 
the make permits of this; the last fraction of an 
inch at the muzzle is where the rifling, if damaged, 
spoils the shooting most. For the same reason, 
it is as well to have the rifling '* reamed off" at 
the mouth of the muzzle, so that the edge of it is 
protected. Examine the interior of your barrel 
at frequent intervals after cleaning, to see if there 
is any damage going on from corrosion. 

10 



Cleaning and Care of Pistols 1 1 

Use the cleaning fluids recommended for the 
particular powder you are using, as what may be 
good for one powder is of no use for another. 

The great thing is to clean very thoroughly. I 
use cotton-wool of the best quality rather than 
tow, and I do not use boiling water unless in very 
exceptional cases, for fear of overlooking a spot 
in drying, and getting rust in consequence. If 
necessary to use water to remove fouling, let it 
be as hot as possible, but this cannot be done if 
the barrel is not capable of being separated from 
the action. 

Do not try to oil the lock, or put it right; send 
it occasionally to the maker to be seen to. It is 
also well to have a cleaning kit with wooden not 
metal (except for calibres of .32 or less) cleaning 
rods, cotton-wool, cleaning fluids, screw-drivers, 
etc., all in proper compartments, and to put them 
back when used. See that the cotton-wool is 
absolutely dry' and clean before using it. Throw 
away such pieces after once using. Do not use too 
big a piece on your rod, such as would get the 
latter jammed in the barrel, as you may ruin the 
shooting qualities of the barrel by using force to 
remove it. Have the cleaning rods long enough, 
or you may bark your knuckles. 

I do not care much for detachable stocks for 
pistols. They only turn a pistol into an inferior 



12 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

carbine, and the pistol is not meant for a long- 
range weapon. 

I also do not like the cardboard cases in which 
American pistols are usually packed, for permanent 
use ; they are not strong enough and are apt to in- 
jure the sights, especially fine sights. A holster, 
again, is not the thing in which to keep a pistol 
habitually, as the sights get knocked about; if the 
holster is used out-of-doors it gets damp inside and 
rusts the weapon. Great care should always be 
taken to see that the holster is absolutely dry 
inside before placing a pistol therein. To dry 
the inside of a holster, make some oats very hot 
in a saucepan and fill the holster with them, empty- 
ing them out when cold. Some American holsters 
are made of india-rubber, to prevent perspiration 
from the body rusting the pistol, but such an one 
is very liable to retain dampness inside after rain. 
The holster which I prefer (for wearing, not as 
a pistol-case) is a cowboy holster, without any 
button to the flap. If you fasten the flap, you 
cannot get the pistol out in a hurry. A lining 
of rabbit fur is useful in keeping out sand or dust. 

My pistol-cases are good, strong, and solid, of 
leather, with brass corners like gun-cases. Each 
case holds four, placed either side by side, each 
pistol in its own compartment, or, with a tray, two 
in the tray and two below. If you have only two 



Cleaning and Care of Pistols 13 

pistols, they can be put in a case without this upper 
tray, or the tray can be used for cartridges. Under 
all circumstances, use a good lock, — not the sort 
that any key fits, — keep the case locked, and wear 
the key on your watch-chain, so that you are sure 
nobody but yourself can open the case. Keep the 
case in a dry place, and look at the pistols 
occasionally, when they are not in constant use, 
to see that they are not rusting. 

Keep your cartridges, if not in the same case as 
the pistols, also locked in a good leather case. This 
may be fitted with compartments for various 
calibres and loads. The word ''loaded'' may with 
advantage be inscribed inside the lid of the pistol- 
cases. People then feel less encouragement to 
meddle with the contents. 



CHAPTER IV 

SIGHTS 

SIGHTS are made in many forms. Some suit 
one man best; others another. You cannot 
decide which suits your individual case without 
trying each sort for yourself. 

When you find one form which suits you, it is a 
pity to risk spoiling your shooting by changing to 
others; a beginner should never do so, as he will 
get into an uncertain way of taking his sights, in- 
stead of always the same, which is the only way to 
make reliable, consistent, shooting. Of course, 
all your sights may be useless if you are going to 
shoot in a competition, consequent on the authori- 
ties making some new rule as to ''fit for rough 
usage''; and then you will have to shoot with 
whatever will pass the rules. 

My patent sight has, so far, complied with every 
rule, and it can be used for hammering nails 
without sustaining damage. 

The main point is to have a front sight at once 
easily seen, and of which you see each time the 

14 



Sights 15 

same amount; not sometimes more and at other 
times less, else you cannot keep your elevation. 

Also the ''U'' in the back sight should have 
bevelled edges, so as to give a sharp edge, else it 
looks ^'woolly/' 

Again, if you are not able to see daylight each 
side of the front sight when it is in the '*U," you 
cannot be aware that you are not covering part of 
the front sight on one side or the other, and, there- 
fore, whether your aim is in horizontal axis with 
your barrel. 

The reason I prefer a ''U'*- to a ''V-shaped 
notch in the hind sight is because in the ''V you 
do not see this daylight so well. 

As soon as you can shoot well enough to know 
whether bad shots are the fault of the sighting of 
the revolver or of your own holding, you can sight 
the pistol properly for yourself; and in this way 
you can do the sighting much more accurately, 
and with greater nicety, than by taking it to a 
gunmaker and saying: ''Alter the sights to shoot 
three inches higher and two to the left at twenty 
yards, and open the 'U' a little,'' etc. To do 
this, have front and hind sights made of horn, 
put in temporarily, without any ''U'* in the hind 
sight, and both hind and front sights a little higher 
than you think necessary. Then go to the range 
with your pistol and several files of various 



i6 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

sizes, including some that are round. Make a 
slight ''U'' in the measured centre of the top edge 
of the back sight. Shoot a few shots at the 
range you want to sight for (taking care that you 
do not go clean over the top of the butt, owing to 
being sighted too high), and then keep working 
with the files, first at one sight and then at the 
other, till you get them approximately right. 

Do not cut the '' U '' down too close to the barrel, 
as it will then give you a blurry aim, especially 
when the barrel gets hot. If you find you shoot 
too high, unless you cut this '^U^' down take out 
the front sight and put in another higher one, 
rather than file the ''U'' unduly low. 

Remember when filing : Filing at the bottom of 
the ''U*' makes you shoot lower ; filing at the top 
of the front sight makes you shoot higher; filing 
on the side of the ^'U** or the front sight makes 
you shoot towards the side on which you have 
filed. Therefore, by filing a very little at a time, 
where necessary, you can at last get your sighting 
perfect. Be sure to file a very little at a time, 
or you will overdo it. As in sculpture, you can 
easily take off, but cannot replace. If you have 
taken off too much anjrwhere, you may be able to 
correct this by filing so as to alter the direction. 
For instance, if you have been shooting too much 
to the right, you can correct this by filing on the "^ 



Sights 17 

left of the front sight or the left of the *' U/* which- 
ever makes the more symmetrical job; but if, by 
doing so, you make the front sight too small or too 
narrow or make the '' U '' too wide, there is nothing 
to do but to put in a new front or hind sight and 
begin shooting and filing again. 

When you have got the sighting perfect, work 
carefully with your file (taking great care not to 
spoil the edge of the ''U'* nearest to the eye when 
aiming), and give a chamfered or bevelled edge to 
the other side of the ''U," so that it has a knife- 
edge. This is to make the ''U'' look clear and 
yet allow the back sight to be strong. On this 
principle, you can let the hind sight be strong and 
over a quarter of an inch thick, and yet have a 
nice, clear ''U." Do not have the ''U'' deeper 
than a semicircle. If this ''U** is too deep, it 
hampers your view of the object aimed at. In 
fact, it should not be quite a real ''U,'' but a 
semicircle. You can also file all round the front 
sight, giving it a taper toward the muzzle, but 
keeping unaltered the silhouette that you see 
when aiming, so that the outline shall then stand 
clear to the eye. 

A gunmaker's vise (padded, so as not to bruise 
the revolver) is a useful thing, as it leaves both 
your hands free to use the files. 

I cannot tell you how much you may undercut 



i8 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

the front sight, assuming you intend to use it in 
competition, as the rules alter so from year to year. 
I have an undercut bead-sight which some years 
was allowed at Bisley as ''Military,'' and in other 
years not. The best plan, if you are in any doubt 
as to its passing, is to send your revolver to be 
passed by the committee before competing. 

When you have finished, and have had a final 
shoot to see if this finishing has not spoilt your 
elevation, etc., you can send your pistol to the 
maker, and ask him to make your sights precisely 
like your model ones, and to fix them permanently 
on the pistol without screws, if for Bisley use, so as 
to comply with the rules. When you get the 
pistol with these sights, if the work has been 
properly done, a very little more filing will put 
the matter right. 

Should you not be shooting at Bisley, or at any 
of those clubs which shoot under Bisley rules, 
you can, of course, get a pistol with Smith & 
Wesson's ''Ira Paine" adjustable sights. Carry 
a miniature folding gilt screw-driver and sight- 
case on your watch-chain, as I do, and you will 
then be able to shoot in any light, at any range, 
or in any style of shooting, by merely giving a 
slight turn to the adjusting screws to alter your 
elevation or direction; or take out a sight from 
your little case of sights, if a sight breaks or you 



Sights 19 

want a different size or shape. Public opinion 
has not yet been educated to the point of consider- 
ing this **a practical military sight/' but this will 
come — in time. 

EXTRACTS FROM SPECIFICATIONS OF WALTER 
WINANS'S REVOLVER FRONT SIGHT 

''Great difficulty has hitherto been experienced 
in seeing the same amount of front sight each time 
aim is taken, unless the base of the sight is suffi- 
ciently undercut to form a 'bead-sight'; such 
undercutting being, however, detrimental, as it 
weakens the ' sight ' and renders it very liable to 
injury, and is not permissible in Bisley revolver 
competitions. The object of my invention is, 
therefore, to overcome this difficulty, and to this 
end I make the 'sight' of metal, horn, wood, or 
other hard substance, with a strong, wide base, 
preferably of the 'barleycorn' or triangular 
section. 

"The face of the upper part of the ' sight ' facing 
the marksman (as much of it as it is desirable to see 
in aiming) is made vertical, or inclined slightly 
towards the marksman, so as to cause it to ap- 
pear black, as if in shadow. The visible part of 
the sight below the face inclines forward from the 
marksman, and downward, so as to reflect the 
light and enable the face of the sight to be at once 



20 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

distinguished by its difference of shade from the 
lower part. It may be poHshed or plated to 
assist in reflecting the light, while as a contrast, 
the vertical face is cross-filed, or 'roughed/ or 
may be hollowed out so as to be in shadow, and 
give it a ' dead ' black appearance. 

''In the drawing, I have shown what I con- 
sider the best means of carrying this out. Fig. 
I is a side view, full size, of a portion of a revolver 
barrel fitted with my improved 'front sight.' 

"Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are sections of the barrel 
at A B, showing two forms which the sight may 
assume in section, one having straight sides, the 
other concave. I show in Figs. 4 and 4*, on a 
larger scale, for the sake of clearness, a side and 
plan view of the sight shown in Fig. i , and in Fig. 
5 a modification of this shape. Figs. 6 and 7 are 
end views, showing two sectional forms of the 
sight, and corresponding in size with Figs. 4 and 
5. In Figs. I and 4, it will be seen that a is the 
vertical face of the sight, which is designed to 
present a dark appearance to the marksman; and 
b is the polished, inclined surface, which takes a 
rounded form. In the modification, Fig. 5, the 
face a is slightly inclined towards the marksman^ 
and the bright or polished surface b takes the form 
of a fiat incline.'' 



CHAPTER V 



LEARNING TO SHOOT 



IT is assumed that you have procured an accu- 
rate pistol, properly sighted. It is best to use 
a single-shot pistol or revolver as an automatic 
pistol cannot well be used as a single loader and 
for a beg'nner is very dangerous with the maga- 
zine charged. 

First, make sure that it is unloaded. Always 
do this before handling a pistol. 

Take a bottle of sight-black and paint both 
sights over with the liquid. I have seen men try 
to compete, with their sights in a shiny state, 
which made it impossible for them to make good 
shooting on a white target with black ''bull." 

For game shooting, or for military purposes, 
of course, a ''dead'' white (ivory for choice) tip 
to the front sight is preferable, or my patent mili- 
tary front sight, which answers the purposes both 
of a light on dark, or dark on light sight. 

¥/ith a pistol the first thing to consider is 
safety. It is, owing to its shortness, one of the 

21 



22 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

most dangerous of firearms to handle. Even an 
expert must exercise great care; and in the hands 
of a beginner or a careless person it may be fear- 
fully dangerous. I have had many very narrow 
escapes in teaching men how to shoot; it is not 
even safe to be behind them ; they will turn round 
with the pistol at full-cock, pointing it at you, and 
say: ''I cannot understand why it will not go off; 
see! I am pulling as hard as I can at the trigger.'' 

It is indispensable to have a safe background. 
Some people think that if the target is fastened 
to the trunk of a tree it is all safe, since the bullet 
will not go through the tree. This may be so if 
the tree is hit, but the bullet will, most likely, go 
past the tree when the beginner fires; or, what is 
just as dangerous, graze the tree and go off at an 
angle. Also, in shooting with round bullets, and 
light gallery ammunition, the bullets may rebound 
from a hard tree and come back on the shooter. 
This I have actually seen happen. 

A good background is a high sandy bank, a 
thick pile of fagots, or, if not closer than fifty 
yards, a high brick or stone wall. The target may 
be stood some fifteen yards away from the wall to 
prevent danger of a bullet coming back on the 
shooter, and then the shooter can be far enough 
from the wall, if the wall is a background. If a 
lot of shooting is done, it is not very good for the 



Learning to Shoot 23 

wall, and if many shots hit the same spot they may 
gradually make a hole. Iron butts are expensive, 
especially for the large surface required by a be- 
ginner; at twenty yards, a beginner could not in 
my opinion safely shoot at a background less than 
twelve feet high and some ten in width. Even 
then there should not be any one beyond it within 
half a mile, lest he should happen to let off by 
accident. Shooting out to sea is safe, if one keeps 
a good lookout for boats; but the glare from the 
water is bad. A sand or chalk pit is a good place 
to shoot in, or one can shoot against a high chalk 
cliff. It is dangerous to shoot anywhere where 
people cross unexpectedly, as from round the cor- 
ner of a building. 

The great thing is that the pistol should never 
point in any direction where it would matter if it 
went off by accident. This rule should be observed 
even with an empty pistol, because so many ''I- 
did-not-know-it-was-loaded " accidents occur. 

Having got a butt, the learner should take a firm, 
narrow wooden table and place it some ten yards 
from the target. This target is preferably a 
''Bisley fifty-yards target,'' four-inch buirs-eye. 
The Bisley cardboard targets are cheap; and, by 
pasting white patches on the white and black on 
the bull's-eye bullet-holes, one target can be used 
for a long time. I refer to the fifty-yards target 



24 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

because this four-inch bull's-eye is very easy to 
hit at ten yards' range. The Bisley revolver 
''buirs-eyes'' count, at all ranges, seven points; 
the concentric rings counting one point less, each, 
till the outermost one, which counts two points. 
The highest possible score, therefore, for the six 
shots is forty-two, or six times seven. It is best 
to shoot at this very big ''buir' at ten yards, as 
making *' bull's-eyes" encourages the beginner; 
and, as he gets more proficient, the two-inch twenty 
yards ''bull" can be substituted. This I think 
preferable to going back farther from the target 
as your skill increases; also it is safer, for the 
nearer the shooter is to the butt the wider his 
shots would have to be for him to miss it ; whereas, 
if he goes back to fifty yards he may easily shoot 
over a very high butt. 

Place your empty pistol on the table, the 
weapon lying on its left side with the muzzle 
towards the target. The table is preferably a 
narrow one, so that, during the process of loading, 
the muzzle points to the ground beyond the table 
and not to the table itself, an accidental discharge 
being thus immaterial ; a foot wide is about right ; 
the length does not matter, so long as it will hold 
your field-glasses, cleaning things, and cartridges. 

Position. — The position for shooting which I 
am now going to describe, is the one in which I 



Learning to Shoot 25 

shoot and the one which I have found from experi- 
ence suits me best. This position, however, will 
have to be modified according to the build of the 
shooter; a stouter or shorter-necked man than 
myself might have to stand more sideways. 

Stand facing the target ; the right foot pointing 
straight for the target, or perhaps a shade to the 
left (if the ground is slippery, this gives you a 
firmer foothold) ; the left heel distant from six to 
nine inches to the left of the right foot, according 
to your height (my distance is eight inches), and 
about an inch farther back; the feet turned out 
about as much as is natural to you when standing. 

Stand perfectly upright, not craning your head 
forward; the left arm should hang down straight 
and close to the side in the position of ''Attention.'' 
Some people bend the left arm and rest the hand 
on the hip; but I think this looks affected, and it 
is not as w^orkmanlike as if the arm hangs straight 
down. 

If you are trying to ''hold" an especially im- 
portant shot, and find yourself wobbling off your 
aim, it is a great help to grip your thigh hard with 
your left hand; this especially applies in a gusty 
wind. 

Now lift the pistol with your right hand (the 
weapon is empty, remember) and cock it. There 
are two ways of cocking: one using both hands 



26 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

and one using only the shooting hand. I do not 
refer to the double-action revolver cocked by 
pulling back the trigger, as I do not think shooting 
with much accuracy can be done by this method; 
and it is, moreover, the cause of half the acci- 
dents happening with the ''I-did-not-know-it-was- 
loaded'' shooters. The cocking by the trigger is 
only useful in a revolver for self-defence at very 
close quarters. 

To return, this single-handed cocking is done 
by putting the thumb on the hammer and by the 
action of the thumb muscles alone bring it to full- 
cock. Take particular care that the first finger 
is clear of the trigger, or else you will either break 
or injure the sear notch, or have an accidental 
'' let-off.'' With practice, this way of cocking 
becomes very easy, and can be done with great 
rapidity. I personally can also let the pistol 
down to half-cock (manipulating the pistol with 
one hand, with the trigger finger and thumb) ; 
but I would not advise a beginner to try this, 
except with an empty pistol and even then only 
one that he does not mind the chance of spoiling, 
as he is very apt to break the nose of the sear if 
he bungles it. 

By practice, the thumb and forefi.nger muscles 
{abductor pollicis and adductor indicts) develop 
enormously, and you need not mind if at first it 



Learning to Shoot 2^ 

seems difficult; but stop at first as soon as they 
feel tired, or you may strain them. Pistol-shoot- 
ing is good also for the flexors of the forearm and 
for the dorsal muscles. A small hammer with 
short ^^fair' is easiest to cock, as well as to make 
good shooting with, for such a hammer takes less 
time in falling, and the aim is, in consequence, 
less likely to be disturbed. 

The beginner will find that it assists the cocking 
to give the pistol a slight tilt to the right and 
upwards, taking great care to bring it back with 
the hind-sight horizontal afterwards, as holding 
the sights tilted is one of the chief causes of bad 
shooting. 

For double-handed cocking, assist the right 
hand by taking the pistol barrel in the left hand; 
keep the barrel horizontal and pointed at the 
target, not towards your left-hand neighbour (if 
you are competing), as is often done; and, while 
it is thus steadied, cock gently, not with a jerk, 
bringing the hammer well beyond full-cock, so 
that it sinks back into the bent with a well-defined 
click, keeping the first finger clear of the trigger. 

Now, stand with the pistol in your right hand, 
just clear of the table; right arm full stretch. 
The first finger must be outside the trigger- 
guard {not touching the trigger) during this 
stage. 



28 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

Some Englishmen shoot with the second finger 
on the trigger and the first along the pistol ; but 
this is a clumsy way, and the first finger is apt to 
be burnt with the escape of gas from the cylin- 
der, if a revolver is used. The habit was acquired 
from shooting the Martini rifle, the clumsy ''grip'' 
of which made this manner of holding necessary. 

The great thing is to have your grip as high as 
you can on the stock, in line with the axis of the 
barrel, or as near this as is practicable. With the 
Smith & Wesson Russian Model (now no longer 
manufactured) I have it actually in line with the 
bore of the barrel. 

Some pistols for the British market often have 
specially long, big handles, or stocks, because 
of the habit (or is it the Regulation Position?) 
of holding the stock low down with the little fin- 
ger beneath, prevalent in England. Now this 
sort of position makes the recoil come at an 
angle to the wrist, throws the barrel up at the 
recoil, spoiling the accuracy, and puts more strain 
on the wrist than is necessary. I remember a 
very strong-wristed man firing one of my heavily 
charged fifty-yards revolvers and spraining his 
wrist at the first shot, owing to holding it in this 
way; whilst I have fired hundreds of rapid-firing 
shots straight on end with it without hurting 
myself. I take the recoil just as a man catches 



Learning to Shoot 29 

a hard-thrown ball, letting arm, hand, and wrist 
fly up together. 

The pistol barrel, hand, and arm should all be 
nearly in one line, the thumb along the left side, 
so as to prevent jerking to the left in pressing 
the trigger (in the same way as the left arm 
is fully extended in shooting with the shotgun), 
and not crooked, as all beginners insist on holding 
it. 

You must be constantly on the watch that you 
do not crook your thumb, until the extended posi- 
tion becomes second nature to you. Some makes 
of pistols, however, have the extractor lever in a 
position which renders this grip with extended 
thumb impossible. 

For the benefit of beginners who are not target 
rifle-shots, the following explanation may be 
necessary: The target, for the convenience of 
locating shot-holes, is supposed to represent the 
face of a clock. The top of the bull's-eye (which 
we term ''bull" for brevity) is called XII o'clock, 
as that is, of course, where the numeral XII ap- 
pears on a clock face, and so on for all the other 
numerals: half -past four, for instance, is half-way 
between where the numerals IV and V appear on a 
clock. I was once shooting in the presence of a 
foreign naval officer, and when I made a ''half- 
past five'' ''bull" shot he said, "South-east," his 



30 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

professional instinct making him liken the target 
to the face of a compass. 

First take a deep breath, and fill your lungs. 
Now slowly bring your right arm to the horizontal, 
keeping your eyes fixed on the bottom edge — at 
''six o'clock '' — of the ''bull'' ; whilst you are doing 
this, put your forefinger inside the trigger-guard, 
and gradually begin to feel the trigger and steadily 
increase the pressure on it straight hack, not side- 
ways. Whilst you are doing all this, also gradu- 
ally stiffen all your muscles so that you are braced 
up, especially about the right shoulder, as though 
you were walking along the pavement and saw a 
man coming towards you whom you meant to 
shoulder out of your path. 

You may breathe naturally until the pistol is 
levelled, then hold your breath; if you cannot get 
your aim satisfactorily before you feel you want 
to take a fresh breath, lower the pistol, take a deep 
breath, and try again. If you have followed these 
directions carefully, you will find, when the hind 
sight comes to the level of your eyes (closing your 
left eye or not, as you find best, without any 
lowering of the head), the front sight will be 
seen through the middle of the "U'' pointed at 
the bottom of the bull's-eye, the top of the front 
sight just touching it at "six o'clock." If every- 
thing has been done perfectly, at the moment this 



Learning to Shoot 31 

occurs the pressure on the trigger will have been 
increased sufficiently to cause the hammer to 
fall, and, after it has fallen, you will see the top 
of the front sight still just touching the bull's-eye 
at its bottom edge. 

If the pistol had been loaded (assuming, of 
course, that it was an accurate shooting one and 
properly sighted), you would have had a central 
bull's-eye for your shot. Most likely, however, 
you will find that the pistol came up all of a 
tremble, and that, as the hammer fell, the front 
sight was jerked very wide of the ''bull'' and 
perhaps even hidden by the hind sight. 

Do not be discouraged, but cock and try again. 
By the way, it is best to use a ''dummy" cartridge 
or an exploded one whilst doing this "snapping" 
practice, as otherwise the jar may do damage to 
the plunger and perhaps break the mainspring. 
There are dummy cartridges, made with a rub- 
ber "buffer," for this practice. 

If you still find your hand shaky (and it is not 
naturally so), it most probably arises from your 
gripping too hard. 

The action of "letting off " should be like squeez- 
ing an orange — a squeeze of the whole hand. Start 
with a light grip when your hand is down, and 
gradually squeeze as you come up, the trigger- 
finger squeezing back; and the hammer will fall 



32 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

without the least tremor or without the sights 
moving off the point they covered during the fall 
of the hammer. The main thing of all in pistol 
shooting is to squeeze straight hack. Whenever you 
find yourself shooting badly see if you are not 
^^ pulling of to one side'' ; and in nine cases out of 
ten you will discover that this was the cause of 
your bad shooting. 

Some men can never squeeze the trigger straight 
back, and have to allow for this by getting the 
hind sight ''set over'' to one side to correct it; 
but this is a slovenly way of shooting, and, as the 
pull to one side may vary according to the '' jump- 
iness'' of the shooter, it prevents his being a 
really first-class shot. 

Keep the hind sight perfectly horizontal; be- 
ginners are prone to cant it on one side, which 
puts the bullet to the side towards which you cant. 

After a little practice, you will be able to ''call'' 
your shots, that is to say, you will be able, the 
moment the cartridge explodes, to say where the 
shot has struck the target, as you know where 
the sights were pointed at the "squeeze-off." 

After six shots, make a pencil-cross over each 
bullet-hole, so as to know where your former 
shots hit. After twelve hits it is best to take a 
fresh target. At the end of the day's shooting, 
you can cover the holes by pasting black patches 



Learning to Shoot 33 

on the buirs-eye holes and white on the rest, and 
use the target again. 

I will now say why I insist upon the importance 
of a table being before the shooter. The usual 
procedure for a beginner with the pistol is this: 
He cocks the pistol with both hands, pointing it 
at the spectators on his left whilst doing so; he 
then holds it with his right arm close to his side, 
pointing it to the ground at his right foot. He 
then brings it up with a flourish, high above his 
head, and lowers it to the target, jerks the trigger, 
and ''looses off.'' Of course he does not hit the 
target, but makes a very wild shot. After a few 
more shots on this principle, getting more and 
more wild, and making bigger flourishes with his 
pistol, he finally lets it off by accident whilst his 
arm is hanging by his side; and he is lucky if he 
does not make a hole in his right foot. 

I remember once a man telling me (he professed 
to be an expert with the revolver) that I was 
wrong in keeping my revolver pointed in front of 
me towards the target when preparing to shoot. 
''You ought to hold it like this,'' he said, letting 
his right arm hang close to his side and keeping 
the revolver pointing downwards; "then it is 
quite safe." At that moment it went off and blew 
a big hole in the ground within an inch of his foot ! 

By my system of having a table in front of the 



34 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

shooter, close to which he stands, and from which 
he hfts the pistol, he cannot shoot down into his 
feet. But he must never turn round or leave the 
table without first unloading the pistol and placing 
it on the table; nor, on any account, must he let 
any one go up to the target or be in front or even 
get level with him whilst the pistol is in his hand. 

Now, as to the trick of lifting the pistol above 
one's head before firing: I cannot understand why 
people want to do this. It only frightens specta- 
tors; besides, the shooter is running the risk of 
shooting himself through the head; and in com- 
petitions or in self-defence time is too valuable to 
waste in such antics. 

When you are pretty confident that you can 
keep your sights properly aligned at the bottom 
edge of the ''bull'' while the hammer is falling, 
you can try a few shots with a loaded pistol. It is 
best to load only some of the chambers, if using a 
revolver, irregularly spin the cylinder round, after 
the revolver is closed and at half-cock, so as not 
to know which chambers are loaded, and every 
time you find you jerk off with a shot, return to 
the snapping-empty-cartridge practice. This lat- 
ter is good practice, even when you become a 
skilled shot. 

Place the box of cartridges beside, and to the 
right of, the pistol. Use only a very small charge 



Learning to Shoot 35 

(gallery ammunition for choice) at first, as nothing 
puts a beginner off so much as the fear of recoil. 
Stand behind the table, the pistol being between 
you and the target, and take the pistol by its stock 
in the right hand. Do not turn the muzzle to the 
left, but straight out towards the target. Put 
it in your left hand and load it. This proce- 
dure varies with different makes of revolvers; with 
the Smith & Wesson, Russian, and Winans models, 
you lift the catch with your left thumb and press 
the barrel down with the same hand till it (the 
barrel) is perpendicular, pointing to the ground. 
But whatever the mechanism, when the pistol 
is open for loading, the barrel should be pointing 
downwards, yet in line for the target. 

If a cartridge projects too much, remove it, as 
it is dangerous and may explode prematurely 
from friction against the breech of the revolver. 
In loading, of course have the pistol at half-, 
not full-cock. Close it by elevating the breech 
with the right hand, not by raising the bar- 
rel with the left, as in the latter case the car- 
tridges may drop out. This rule applies also to 
the hand ejecting revolvers. See that the snap, 
or other fastening, is properly closed. If your 
shot goes wide of the bull, be sure, before you 
alter your aim for the next shot, whether it is not 
your * 'squeeze-off*' which is wrong. 



36 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

A practised shot can correct the shooting of his 
pistol by **aiming-off '' enough to rectify any error 
in sights. But the beginner had better not at- 
tempt this : he will find enough to do in trying to 
hold straight under the bull. 

Do not mind if your score does not ^^ count'' 
much; those who do not understand shooting 
judge the goodness of a score by how much it 
counts, or by how many shots are in or near the 
bull's-eye. In reality, it is the group which 
constitutes a good score. One score may consist 
of the highest possible, — forty-two points (all six 
shots bull's-eyes), — and another may only count 
twelve points ; and yet the latter may be far the 
better ''shoot." 

I will explain: In the first case, the shots may 
be ''all round'' the bull, "nicking" the edges; they 
would require, therefore, a circle of more than 
four inches (on the target you are at present shoot- 
ing at) to cover them. The other score may 
consist of all six bullet-holes cutting into each 
other at an extreme edge of the target, but making 
a group which could be covered with a postage- 
stamp. The first "shoot" is a wild, bad score for 
ten yards' range at a four-inch bull, although it 
counts the highest possible in conventional scor- 
ing. The other is a magnificent shoot, that any 
one might be proud of; the fact of its being up in 



Learning to Shoot 37 

the comer merely showing that the sights were 
wrong, not the shooter *s ' ' holding. ' ' A few touches 
of the file, or knocking sideways the hind sight, will 
put this error right. Never mind, therefore, 
about scoring many points; merely shoot for 
group. You will gradually find your groups 
getting smaller and smaller as you improve; it is 
then merely a matter of filing to get good scoring. 
As your four-inch bull's-eye is too large for real 
shooting at ten yards, you must remember that 
the sighting of the pistol should put the bullets 
one inch only into this size bull at '*VI o'clock," 
not into the middle of it. The reason is that, 
practically, the trajectory of a pistol is the same 
at twenty as at ten yards; and as the English regu- 
lation bull at twenty yards is two inches, you want 
the twenty-yards sighted pistol to put the shots 
into the centre of the two-inch bull when you aim 
at the bottom edge. In other words, you want it 
to shoot an inch higher than your aim at that 
distance. Therefore, if with your four-inch bull, 
a'ming at the bottom edge, you go into the bull 
one inch up, it means a central bull's-eye shot on 
a two-inch bull. The reason I recommend aiming 
at the bottom of the bull's-eye instead of at the 
middle of it is that if you try to put a black bead 
in the middle of a black bull's-eye, you cannot see 
either properly ; if you whiten the bead of the fore 



38 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

sight, then you cannot see it clearly against the 
white of the target in ''coming up'' to a bull. 
Nobody can hold absolutely steady on the ''bull'' 
for more than a fraction of a second ; you have to 
"come up" from below and "squeeze off" as you 
get your sights aligned. 

It is best to have your cleaning appliances on 
the table, or otherwise handy, when shooting, and 
every now and again to have a look through the 
barrel and a wipe-out; you might otherwise be 
inclined to attribute to bad shooting what may be 
caused by leading or hard fouling in the barrel. 
I have a little cupboard under my table with a 
lock and key, in which I keep my cleaning appa- 
ratus, cartridges, etc. (but not the pistol), to save 
the trouble of carrying them to the range. 

Always clean a pistol as soon after shooting as 
possible, and clean very thoroughly. 

For real work, I prefer a pistol when it is half 
worn out, as everything then works smoothly and 
there is less danger of jambing. Rust in the rifling 
may entirely spoil accuracy, as, if you work it off, 
the bore gets enlarged and the bullets "strip." 
I never like to compete with a perfectly new pistol ; 
all pistols have their peculiarities, and it is neces- 
sary to get used to one, to "break it in," before 
trusting it to obey one's slightest hint. 

It is sometimes useful to be able to shoot with 



Learning to Shoot 39 

the left hand; as, for instance, if the right hand 
is disabled, the right arm held, etc., and for an 
officer with a sword in his right hand. If the 
novice has resolution enough to divide his practis- 
ing, from the beginning, between both hands, he 
will be able to shoot nearly as well with his ''left'' 
hand as with his right. I have put quotation 
marks round ''left'' as I mean by this the hand 
not usually employed; a left-handed man's right 
hand being in this sense his "left." 

I have also noticed that a left-handed man can 
shoot more evenly with both hands ; that is to say, 
he is not much better or worse with either hand, 
not being so helpless with his right hand as a 
normally handed man is with his left. In all the 
directions for shooting, for left-handed work merely 
change "right leg" to "left leg"; "right arm" to 
"left arm," etc. 



CHAPTER VI 

RAPID FIRING 

RAPID firing, in my opinion, is the most practi- 
cal style of shooting ; a pistol is not a weapon 
for deliberate shooting, but for lightning rapidity 
at short range. 

If you are using a revolver it is necessary to get 
one which works as loosely and as easily as pos- 
sible. A half-worn-out revolver is best, as it 
works freer. Next, file the mainspring as weak as 
it is possible to have it without risk of too many 
misfires. If it has one misfire in every twenty 
shots, or so, it does not matter, the great thing 
being to have it cock easily. An automatic pistol 
is the weapon for this, a revolver being quite out 
of date. A very big front sight and a big **U'' 
in the back one are advisable. 

As the target rises, ''come up," quickly, increas- 
ing the pressure on the trigger as you ''come up, *' 
so that the pistol goes off the moment it is hori- 
zontal and the sights are about right. I say about 
because there is not time to correct the aim. 

Be sure to squeeze back — not jerk off. It is 

40 



Rapid Firing 41 

possible, with practice, to get this *'snap shot'* 
into the ''bull" or touching it. As this first shot 
goes off, he especially careful to take all pressure 
off the trigger. Unless you are very careful you 
will keep a slight pressure on the trigger with your 
first finger, and if you are using an automatic the 
next shot will go off before you mean it to. 

Your right arm — and in fact, the whole of your 
body — should be immovable. Your aim at each 
shot ought not to be disturbed enough to be more 
than a few inches off the ''bull.'' 

After each shot begin a steadily increasing 
pressure straight back, and without a jerk, trying 
at the same time to get your sights as near the 
"bull" as you can before the pistol goes off again. 
You can fire as quickly as you can get your aim. 

If using an automatic pistol, all that you have 
to do is to release the pressure on the trigger the 
moment each shot goes off, and instantly begin to 
squeeze again as you get your next aim. Do not 
keep on too long; half a dozen practice scores are 
ample at a time. One only gets erratic and wild 
if one continues too long, and the pistol also gets 
hot. 

The sighting may have to be different in this 
from that required for slower shooting. Some 
men shoot up in one corner when snap-shooting 
with the heavy trigger-pull of the automatic 



42 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

pistol; and it is preferable to have the sighting so 
that one can aim straight under the ''bull/' in- 
stead of having to make allowance for the jerking 
off. The trigger-pull should be as light as is 
deemed compatible with safety, but the automatic 
pistols so far on the market have a very heavy 
trigger-pull. 

Wearing glasses to protect the eyes against half- 
burnt powder fumes is very important in shooting 
an automatic. 



CHAPTER VII 

TRAVERSING TARGET 

Target Moving Across the Line of Fire at Twenty 

Yards 

THIS is not so difficult as rapid-firing. The 
chief difficulty is that when your aim is right 
horizontally, you may be wrong vertically, and 
vice versa. 

When first practising, have a target made with 
a black band two inches wide running down the 
middle of the target, instead of the usual buirs- 
eye. Begin your practice at this, having it first 
put up with the black band vertical, and then with 
it horizontal. Shooting at it vertical will show you 
if you are getting the right allowance in front in 
your aim. When it is horizontal, it will show you 
if your elevation is correct. This can be elabo- 
rated by having black bands painted or pasted 
on the back of an ordinary target, and, with its 
back towards you, shooting at them. Then, by 
turning it over after the six shots have been fired, 

43 



44 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

you will see what score you would have made oni 
a regulation target. The reason for this practice 
is that there are two things to attend to. One is 5 
the ''allowance'' in front , the other is the ''eleva- 
tion''; and if a beginner tries to think of both at 
once, it will confuse him. 

If, after you have got pretty certain of your 
''allowance,'' you go to ''elevation,'' you will most 
likely lose your "allowance," and have to go back 
to the vertical band; and so on, alternately, till 
you can trust yourself at the regulation bull. 

Most people, unless they use alternate hands, 
find the "run" one way easier than the other. 

I prefer higher elevation in sights for this com- 
petition. Instead of aiming to touch the "bull"' 
at "VI o'clock" to get a central "bull," the aimi 
should be at the actual elevation you want the 
bullet to go, so as to enable you to aim off at 
"III o'clock" and "IX o'clock" for right and left 
runs respectively. 

Some people who are slower on the trigger — that 
is, who take longer to give the order to the trigger- 
finger when their eye says the aim is right — may 
need more allowance. 

There is in astronomical work a technical termi 
("reaction time") for the process of timing first 
contact in eclipses, and each observer deducts his; 
own personal error, which seems constant to him. 



Traversing Target 45 

This allowance varies in revolver shooting with 
different men. 

Some men aim at a spot, and wait for the target 
to come up to it; but this is useless, as any one 
knows who has shot moving game with a gun. 

Stand absolutely square to the front, or perhaps 
a little more toward the side on which you find 
it most difficult to follow the target. Plant the 
feet slightly farther apart than for other com- 
petitions, and swing the whole of the upper part of 
the body from the hips. Do not swing your right 
arm, keeping the rest of the body still. The 
shoulder- joint does not give so smooth a horizontal 
swing as swinging from the hips. Moreover, if 
you swing the arm, you have to turn the head, or 
else have to look out of the comers of your eyes, 
instead of straight before you. 

Let the whole of the upper part of your body be 
held rigid, and swing only on the hips. Lift your 
pistol from the table as the target appears, and 
swing with the target, bringing up the pistol on a 
diagonal line (this is the resultant of the vertical 
rise from the shoulder and the horizontal swing 
of the hips). Let the sights come horizontal to 
the eyes a little in front of the proposed allowance ; 
and, as you keep your arm moving in front of the 
bull, gradually let the bull overtake you, till it is 
the right allowance behind your sight; and still 



46 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

keep on swinging. All this time be gradually 
squeezing the trigger, so that it squeezes off just 
when the aim is right. Be sure not to stop swing- 
ing before the pistol goes off, 

I do not think there is any advantage in keeping 
your arm up between runs of the target ; it tires the 
arm, and you cannot make the diagonal swing up 
to your spot in front of the bull. 

I do not think it is of any use deciding to fire 
upon a certain part of the ''run'': it is best to fire 
when you feel you are aiming right, and you may 
get this feeling sooner in the ''run'' on some days 
than on others. 

There is a tendency to "follow" too long, and 
then, owing to lack of time, to jerk off just as the 
target disappears. I have made "bulls" when 
the target was almost out of sight, in fact, I did 
so in my record shoot, at Bisley, where there 
used to be such a competition: but this is a bad 
habit to contract, and a risky sort of shot, as it 
is almost sure to be too far behind, or even to be 
fired into the shield in front of the target ; though, 
of course, if you have not a good aim, it is better 
to delay as long as possible, rather than to shoot 
earlier with a bad aim. 

Be sure in your range that your shield is bullet- 
proof, or you may get into the habit of making 
"bulls" when the target is "sitting" behind the 



Traversing Target 47 

shield, by shooting through it. To economize 
space, you can have this target run in front of 
your disappearing-target apparatus, putting the 
latter out of the way when not needed ; this latter 
will also serve for stationary-target purposes, and 
to hold the fifty-yards target. Do not have a 
target which runs by gravitation, as shooting at 
a target which is running downhill requires quite 
different sighting from that needed with one run- 
ning horizontally. 



CHAPTER VIII 

GALLERY SHOOTING 

A PRIVATE gallery can easily be fitted up in 
the cellars of large country, or even town, 
houses. All that is needed is a gallery of a certain 
length — ten yards will suffice at a pinch, with the 
targets and butt (such as I describe in the chap- 
ter on Stage Shooting) at one end. The targets 
should be lighted from above, preferably by a 
skylight in the daytime, and by gas, lamp, or 
electric light at night. When artificial light is 
used, it should be screened, so that from the firing- 
point the targets are distinct, but the source of 
light invisible. At the firing-point it is difficult 
to get a satisfactory light. If this gallery is not 
made in a greenhouse, which, of course, would 
give ample light to sight by in the day, I think 
there is no use in trying to get the light to shine 
on your sights. If it is behind you, you stand in 
your own light. If enough above you to prevent 
this, the light only shines on the top edges of your 
sights, and is thus worse than useless. I find it 

48 



Gallery Shooting 49 

best to have enough light behind you to enable 
you to load by, and to trust to seeing the sights 
in a black silhouette against the target. You 
may, for this reason, have to alter your sights 
from the elevation which suits you out-of-doors. 

You should have a ventilating shaft straight 
above the muzzle of your pistol, and, if possible, 
a fan to draw off the fumes and smoke ; one worked 
by electricity or water-power is best. 

It is expedient to use only the lightest gallery 
ammunition, and it deadens the sound if you have 
the walls covered with some material hung loosely. 
Boiler-felt is very good for the purpose. Also, 
if you shoot through a hole in a partition screen, 
it helps to deaden the sound. 

I prefer a big-calibre pistol in competition, as 
it gives a better chance to score; a shot which 
would be just out of the bull with a small bullet, 
may just cut the bull with a large ball. The 
bullet-hole is also more easily seen, but the bullet 
must be spherical, or you will have to use too 
heavy a charge of powder to propel it. 

The self -registering targets, such as are used for 
miniature .22 calibre rifles, I do not find very 
satisfactory ; the larger size of the bullet makes it 
liable to strike two compartments at the same 
time, giving you a double score, and the impact 
of the bullet is, moreover, too heavy for the mech- 



50 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

anism. I prefer card targets or the Gastinne 
Renette target which registers hits at the firing- 
point. 

On no account have targets that necessitate 
any one's going down the range, or coming out 
from a mantlet, to change. There is sure to be 
an accident sooner or later. Have them made to 
draw up to the firing-point for examination and 
change, and never let any one turn round with a 
pistol in his hand. In fact, observe all the rules 
as to table to fire from, etc., which I give in the 
chapter on Learning to Shoot. All these rules 
apply equally to gallery shooting. 

As the gallery is generally narrow, it will be 
difficult to have traversing targets, but you can 
have the Bisley targets. 

Such a gallery will be an endless source of 
amusement in the winter evenings, after dinner; 
and the ladies can shoot as well as the men. 

It is advisable to handicap the good shots, so 
as to give all an equal chance. 

Gallery shooting is by far the most scientific 
style of pistol-shooting, if you use a very light 
load, fine sights, and hair-trigger; therefore you 
can have smaller bull's-eyes and subdivisions than 
the Bisley ones. The American and French targets 
are better subdivided for this purpose. Messrs. 
De La Rue make me special '^ace of hearts'' packs 



Gallery Shooting 51 

of cards for use as targets. For experimental 
work also, a gallery is much more reliable than 
shooting out-of-doors. 

When shooting gallery ammunition in which the 
bullets are *' seated'' low down, it is best to have 
a groove line impressed in the cartridge shell to 
prevent the bullet working up; if you have not 
got this impression in the shell, look into the 
cartridges before putting them into the chambers, 
as a bullet may have worked itself up, which would 
cause a weak, low shot. Push the bullet down 
with a loading rod, or pencil, before you insert the 
cartridge into the chamber, if you find it shifted. 
Also, if. after firing a few shots from a revolver 
with this ammunition, yon, for any cause, stop 
and want to re-load the chambers which have been 
fired, it is as well to take out all the cartridges 
that have not been fired and examine them, as 
the jar of firing may have started some of the 
bullets. 



CHAPTER IX 

TWENTY YARDS STATIONARY TARGET 

1HAVE already described how to stand and shoot 
at a stationary target. There are a few points 
to be observed, however, which specially apply 
to this range when shooting at Bisley. Before 
competing at any one of the limited-entry com- 
petitions, it is well to be sure that you are shooting 
up to your proper form, as mistakes cannot be 
corrected after once commencing. 

Personally I think it best (if shooting every day 
or most of the ten days) not to enter in a limited- 
entry competition till after the first two days of 
the meeting, as one gets steadied down by then 
and grows more accustomed to the surroundings. 

As sighting varies from day to day, and even 
from hour to hour, it may be as well to have a pool 
shoot for sighting purposes first; but I personally 
never do so, as I think it is a pity to chance wast- 
ing a good score in pool. The moment you have 
''found the spot,'' leave off pool; do not stop to 
finish a score. 

I prefer doing my sighting on an ''unlimited- 

52 



Twenty Yards Stationary Target 53 

entry'* competition ticket, so that in case I make 
a ''highest possible," that score is not wasted. 

The early morning, from 9 till 11 a.m., is the 
best time for shooting; and then, perhaps, late 
in the evening. One should watch for a good time 
when the light is favourable; often the wind will 
drop late in the evening, half an hour before 
''gunfire,'' after blowing hard all day. 

There is often a good light after rain. I rather 
like shooting in the rain, and have made some of 
my best shots in it. The light is then good; and 
there is then no glare on the target ; bullets make 
very big, ragged holes on a wet target ; and some- 
times a shot which would not cut the bull on a 
dry target may do so on a wet one, owing to its 
making a larger hole.^ The flat-topped bullets 
make very big, ''clean'' holes. 

If you have a target with a doubtful shot, that 
is to say, one for which you think you are entitled 
to a higher count than the range officer gives you, 
do not touch it, or thrust anything (your finger or 
a pencil) into the hole to demonstrate that the 
shot cuts into the bull's-eye or the line you claim. 
If you push anything into the hole you will spoil 
its outline and destroy all evidence of the point 
at which the bullet had cut. In doubtful cases, 

'At Bisley a bullet must cut the bull to count; at the clubs if 
it touches it scores a bull. 



54 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

the range officer puts a bullet of the same calibre 
(which has been pushed with a rod through a 
revolver barrel previously) into the hole, and 
examines it whilst in this position with a magni- 
fying-glass. 

Accept the range officer's decision as final; 
never *' protest'' a decision of his. 

Look at the target through your glass and see 
that it has no bullet-holes in it before you begin 
to shoot; and refuse to shoot at a patched target, 
except at pool. A patch may fall ofl a shot made 
by a previous competitor and confuse your score, 
besides making the target indistinct and throwing 
doubt on a record score by you if you should 
happen to make one on such a target. Also see 
that the bull's-eye is black ; some are badly printed, 
and the ''bull" is grey and indistinct. 

Shoot very slowly and deliberately. There is 
no hurry. The time limit of two minutes would 
be ample within which to fire twenty-four shots — 
and you have only to fire six. 

If you are dissatisfied with your aim, or your 
arm is getting tired, or a gust of wind comes, put 
the revolver down without firing. Look down on 
the grass to rest your eyes, and wipe your hands; 
a little sawdust is a good thing to rub them with 
on hot days. 

When it is gusty, putting up the pistol just 



Twenty Yards Stationary Target 55 

as you think a lull is coming, instead of waiting 
for the lull, gives you a better chance of being 
*'up'' when the lull does come, and you can then 
*'snap*' the shot before the next gust. 

If you have to shoot in a very high wind — as in 
a match, or in shooting off a tie — it is best to 
''snap'* your shots (see chapter on Rapid Firing) 
and not try to hold against the wind. 

If a shot strikes a little too high, or too low, or 
too much to either side, aim ''off" the "bull'' the 
next shot to correct it. 

Do not keep altering the amount you see of 
your front sight if you hit too high or too low; 
you will never make a good score in that way. If 
you are out half an inch at "X o'clock," aim your 
next shot at half an inch off "V o'clock"; if you 
hit half an inch above the bull at "XII o'clock," 
aim half an inch below "VI o'clock" with your 
next shot; do not take a "coarser" sight. This is 
where a practical shot has the advantage over a 
mere "target shot." 

If a shot is in the "bull" (I will assume you can 
easily see shots in, or partly in, the "white" at 
twenty yards ; I can see them at fifty) , and you are 
not sure of its exact locality, examine it with your 
glass. 

If you are "holding" exceptionally steady, and 
have shot well into the "bull," though not actually 



56 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

central, do not aim differently to try to get the 
actual centre with the next shot; as a rule, if you 
are anything more than half in the ''bull,'' it is 
better to let well alone and ''hold'' the same as 
before. I remember on one occasion I had five 
shots in one ragged hole at "V o'clock" in the 
''bull" on the sliding target; and for fear lest I 
should put my last shot through the same hole 
and have it counted as a miss, I tried to hit the 
"bull" at "IX o'clock" clear of that hole, and 
got just out of the btill. 

If you have several bullets in one ragged hole, 
it is advisable, if there be time, to draw the range 
officer's attention to this before you fire the next 
shot, so that in case you go into the same hole or 
group again, he may record it and not think it 
a miss. If he watches the target whilst you shoot, 
through his glasses, he will see where your bullet 
goes, even if you do go into this group. 

At the stationary targets, and at those only, it 
is advisable to use both hands in cocking. In 
cocking, if using a revolver, if there is not a dis- 
tinct click, or if the action feels "woolly" or soft, 
put it back at half-cock, and open the revolver 
and see what is the matter. Most likely a bit 
of fouling, or piece of metal from a cartridge or 
bullet, or a cartridge with too thick a head or 
protruding cap, is the cause. 



Twenty Yards Stationary Target 57 

When the revolver is at full-cock, take the 
cylinder between the forefinger and thumb of the 
left hand, still holding the stock in the right hand 
and keeping the muzzle towards the target, and 
gently try to revolve the cylinder towards the 
right. This, at least, is the normal direction, 
though some makes revolve to the left. You 
will, perhaps, once in a dozen times, find that it 
goes over an appreciable amount till it locks. 

Any revolver, even the best, may sometimes 
not bring the cylinder round quite true to the 
barrel; and if it does not coincide, the shot will 
not be accurate, owing to the bullet not going into 
the barrel true, and thus getting a small shaving 
taken off its side. A bit of fouling, metal from 
cartridges or bullet, ''proud cap,'' or thick car- 
tridge-head may cause this. By attending to the 
cocking in the elaborate way I have indicated, 
this cause of inaccuracy is avoided. (This is very 
important in cases where a miss would be danger- 
ous: as when shooting objects off someone's head, 
or those which are held in the hand or mouth, or 
for the last shot on which everything depends in 
a match or a record score.) Also every time you 
open the revolver, look to see whether the caps 
have been hit absolutely true in the centre. 

By my way of cocking, even if the revolver is 
not acting quite perfectly, the chambers ought to 



58 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

come true. If they do not, clean them very 
carefully. If, in spite of this, the caps are still 
hit on the side, it is useless to continue with that 
revolver until the maker has put it right. 

Shoot with the smallest charge, lightest bullet, 
and largest calibre the rules allow, as it is easier 
to shoot with a small than with a ^'kicking*' 
charge, and the bullet of larger calibre is more apt 
to cut into the bull. (This applies to all competi- 
tions at ranges not over twenty yards; beyond 
that distance, a big charge is more accurate. See 
chapter on Fifty- Yards Target.) 

I do not like too small a front sight. I think 
that one which, in aiming, you see easily is the 
best. The semicircular ''U'' of the hind sight 
should be wide enough to enable you to see all 
round the bead of the front sight. 

In pistol-shooting, the chief difficulty is in 
*' holding'' and ''squeezing off without disturbing 
your aim. There is no need to strain your eyes 
with a microscopic front sight and it makes you 
slow and every fraction of a second is valuable in 
practical shooting. 

Another fault of too fine a front sight is that it 
is liable to get bent, just enough to spoil your aim, 
yet not enough to be noticeable until too late. If 
you try to straighten it, the odds are that you 
break it off and then have to waste a day or more 



Twenty Yards Stationary Target 59 

getting another fixed, which, most Hkely, does not 
suit when done. 

I always have my Bisley sights made solid with 
the revolver, without any screws, and have some 
made to shoot higher, others lower, each on a 
separate revolver. If I find that the light, or my 
shooting, does not suit one sort of sight, I take 
another revolver. I have some fifteen revolvers 
prepared in this way. 

The permission to have a hind sight adjustable 
by being hammered to one side is worse than use- 
less. The sight works loose, gets knocked askew, 
and when you begin shooting you find it is con- 
stantly shifting and spoiling your shooting. I 
do not call it by any means a practical military 
sight. If you only have one pistol have it with 
my front sight, sighted to your normal or 
average vshooting, at twenty or fifty yards, to 
whichever you decide to confine yourself, and 
both back and front sights made fixtures. 

Wear nailed boots, or those with corrugated 
rubber soles, so as not to slip. The rubber, how- 
ever, is rather apt to get cut in standing on spent 
cartridges. A broad-brimmed cowboy hat, or 
sombrero, is the best headgear, except in a wind, 
as it keeps the glare off your eyes. I took to using 
these years ago, and now I see them in use by 
nearly all shooting men, as well as in the English 



6o Automatic Pistol Shooting 

army, though (unhke in the U. S. army) often 
rendered less serviceable by having the brim 
looped up on one side. I keep some of various 
widths of brim, and use the one most suitable for 
the occasion. Also a Swedish leather jacket is 
very good when it gets chilly, as it is very light 
and does not hamper your right arm as a heavier 
coat would do. If you do not possess one, an 
extra waistcoat will serve, as this will leave your 
arm free. An overcoat or mackintosh hampers 
your right arm. You are freer in a flannel shirt 
with turn-down collar, loose round the wrists, 
and no braces. A silk handkerchief tied loosely 
round the neck, cowboy fashion, keeps the sun 
off the nape of your neck. 



CHAPTER X 

DISAPPEARING TARGET 

THIS target, which has the two-inch bull's-eye, 
like the twenty yards stationary target, ap- 
pears and disappears at intervals of three seconds 
— three seconds in sight and three seconds invis- 
ible — and is shot at from a distance of twenty 
yards. 

The rules forbid the pistol being raised from 
the firing-table before the target appears; and it 
must be lowered to the table after each shot. 

Shooting in this competition is the groundwork 
of all the competitions other than at stationary 
targets; so I shall go very fully into the way of 
becoming proficient at this, as the other competi- 
tions should then come comparatively easy. 

In order to do the best possible work, you ought 
for practice to have an exact copy of the disap- 
pearing mechanism used at Bisley; and also (and 
this is very important), the range should orientate 
as at Bisley and should have the background of 
the same colour. 

At Bisley, at one time in the afternoon the shoot- 

6i 



62 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

ing is against the setting sun; at which time the 
wise shot takes a rest and lets others waste their 
entries, as it is impossible to make good shooting 
under these circumstances. By having the points 
of the compass the same as at Bisley, you will 
soon find out which sort of light suits you best, 
and at what hour of the day it comes. Person- 
ally, I find the light from 9 to about 1 1 A.M. (dur- 
ing which time it is more or less over one's left 
shoulder) the best for shooting in July. As the 
sun comes round, you will find that the point to 
aim at varies gradually as the light strikes the 
front sight more or less on the side. 

Variations in elevation, owing to varying inten- 
sities of sunlight, can also be remedied by having 
several pairs of spectacles with plain glass (unless, 
of course, you need optical glasses to see clearly 
with), of different tints of smoke or yellow colour. 
You can then, when you find a certain strength 
of light best for your shooting, keep to this strength 
artificially, whatever the real light may be, putting 
on glasses of a shade sufficient to modify the light 
as required. The glasses should have round, and 
not oval, frames, and these should be a good two 
inches in diameter, so that the rims do not inter- 
fere with your view. Large round goggles, with 
plain window-glass, are a great protection against 
particles of burnt-powder, especially in a head 



Disappearing Target 63 

wind; and after a hard morning's shooting, the 
surface of the glass will be found covered with 
adhesive black spots. It is as well to have one 
pair of plain white glass {i. e., ordinary window- 
glass), and to wear either these or one of the smoked 
or yellow pairs whenever shooting, or even looking 
on at shooting, as the powder blowing back con- 
stantly into the eyes irritates them ; and a sudden 
dab in the eye may even spoil a score by making 
one flinch at a critical moment. I have known a 
man incapacitated from shooting for several days 
through getting his eyes inflamed from particles 
of powder and smoke blowing in his face in a head 
wind, and from the irritating fumes of the nitro- 
powders; and the look of many competitors' eyes 
towards the end of the shooting shows how it 
affects them. A solution of boracic acid and rose- 
water (of course you must get a chemist to dis- 
pense the right quantities) is a very good thing to 
bathe the eyes with during and after a hard day's 
shooting, and it makes the eyes feel very com- 
fortable the next day. 

Also, it is important to protect the ear-drums 
from the constant banging, else you get your ears 
''singing'' and finally become more or less deaf. 
A pistol is worse than a rifle or gun in this respect, 
owing to the shortness of the barrel and the con- 
sequent proximity of the concussion to the ear. 



64 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

The left ear is more apt to suffer than the right, 
which is more sheltered by the arm, and a neigh- 
bour's shot, for which the ear is unprepared, affects 
it more than one's own. This is particularly no- 
ticeable if your neighbour stands slightly behind 
you. Some use cotton-wool in the ears. I find 
it apt to mix with the natural wax in the ears, a 
small amount of the cotton-wool remaining behind 
each time the wool is removed; and, what is more, 
it does not sufficiently deaden the sound. For 
practising in private, a pair of small down pillows 
tied over the ears deaden the sound best, or a rac- 
ing motorist's skull cap with ear shields but both 
are very hot in warm weather and cannot be worn 
in public. ''Elliot's Perfect Ear Protectors" are 
the best I have yet found; these are made in the 
United States and sold in England by Gieve Ma- 
thews & Seagrove, The Hard, Portsmouth. The 
concussion of pistols, bad at all times, is of course 
aggravated by the use of the heavy military am- 
munition obligatory at Bisley. 

If you cannot get a copy of the Bisley disap- 
pearing-target mechanism, the next best thing is 
to have the target hinge over and be brought up 
again by some mechanical means. If this is not 
practicable, a stationary target may be made to 
answer, as I shall presently show. 

My reason for wanting the actual Bisley arrange- 



Disappearing Target 65 

ment is because that comes up with a jerk (some 
of the men operating it are very jerky), and the 
target ''wobbles'' for a fraction of a second, both 
just as it gets upright and just before it disappears, 
and this is apt to disconcert any one not used 
to it. 

Next, get a metronome, with bell attachment. 
Set it to beat half-seconds (be very particular to 
get the time absolutely correct), and set the bell 
to ring at every sixth beat. You have now inter- 
vals of three seconds marked with a ''ring" at the 
end of each. Count the beats to yourself when 
the metronome is working: "One, two, three, four, 
five, six''; "one, two, three," etc. 

Get your man to work the lever which actuates 
the target (the lever in every case being a yard or 
two behind you, so that there is no danger of 
shooting the man or of burning his eyes with the 
side flash from, the chambers of the revolver). 
Let him, at the stroke of the bell, bring up the 
target sharply, so that it comes with a bang, and 
lower it at the next ring in the same way, and keep 
it down till the next ring, then jerk it up, and so 
on; jerking it as roughly as the mechanism will 
allow. 

If you have to practise on a stationary target, 
pretend to yourself that it disappears at each 
alternate ring of the metronome. The firing- 



66 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

point must be like the Bisley one ; it will not do to 
stand with the revolver hanging at your side; it 
must rest on a ledge the same height as at Bisley, 
or else your practice will be useless for Bisley, as 
quite a dififerent way of working the muscles and 
resting them between shots is in use in the two 
styles of shooting, and it takes less time to ''come 
up '' from a ledge than when the arm is hanging by 
the side. Owing to the slope of the ground at 
Bisley, some of the ledges are higher than others; 
choose the one that suits you best, and have your 
practice ledge that height; and when shooting at 
Bisley, do so from the ledge you have previously 
chosen. 

Stand squarely, well behind this ledge. You 
will only get disqualified if you get into the way 
of resting the lower part of your body against the 
ledge; or even if you stand close to it and your 
coat happens to hang in front; or if you happen 
to have a ''corporation'' some competitor may 
have you disqualified as resting against the ledge. 

The position of the legs and body is as for the 
twenty-yards stationary target, except that the rod 
which works the target is best kept between the 
feet, and these have to be a little wider apart. 
(N. B. If you are a short man, it is better to 
stand to one side of the rod.) 

Stretch your arm out its full length, and, hold- 



Disappearing Target 67 

ing the pistol with the sights uppermost, rest 
the lower side of the barrel lightly against the 
ledge. The part of the barrel adjacent to the 
chamber is the part to rest on the ledge, as it is 
less likely to slip. There is a notch between the 
barrel and lower part of the frame of the revolver, 
and when this is resting on the edge of the table, 
and the arm is straight, then you are standing at 
the right distance from the table. 

If you have to stretch too much or to lean for- 
ward, move slightly closer until you are comfort- 
able; if your arm is bent, move backward till it 
comes straight. (All this is done with an empty 
revolver.) 

Now stand in this position, watching the target 
go up and down, and counting all the while, '*one, 
two, three,'' etc., to yourself, till you get the 
rhythm of the thing. Keep your eyes all the time 
fixed on the buirs-eye when it is vertical to you; 
do not follow it down with your eyes, but keep a 
mental picture of it, while it is away, on the back- 
ground. You will gradually be able to know ex- 
actly where it will be, and when it will be there, 
and you will then be able to aim at the imaginary 
spot; so that when the target appears the sights 
will not have to be shifted to the buirs-eye, but 
the buirs-eye will come to the sights. 

Now, cock the pistol, of course using only 



68 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

your right thumb, and not shifting your left hand, 
body, or pistol in the slightest. 

(If you cannot do this neatly, cock the pistol 
first, and then ^^set" yourself at the ledge.) 

Now, at the word ''one,'' slowly {i, e., without 
hurry or jerk) bring your arm up, quite straight, 
till the revolver is level with your eye, and you 
are looking through the sights. 

If you have been following the above directions 
carefully, you will find you are aiming at the bot- 
tom edge of the bull's-eye, without having had 
to shift your hand or to align the sights ; the sights 
and also the target have, in fact, ''come up" to 
your eye, not your eye to them. The speed with 
which you raise your arm should bring the sights 
touching the bottom edge of the "bull" at the 
word " two" ; but it is better, at first, to be slower: 
as long as you get the sights touching the "bull" 
before it disappears, it will do — for the present. 
At the word "six," lower the pistol to the table, 
but keep your eyes on the imaginary spot at w^hich 
the "bull" disappeared. Keep the pistol down 
while you count six, and then raise it as before. 
After a few minutes of this drill, begin to squeeze 
the trigger slightly while the pistol is resting 
against the ledge. With practice you will be 
able to regulate the squeeze so that it will require 
only half a pound more pressure to fire the pis- 



Disappearing Target 69 

tol. Then as you lift the pistol, gradually 
tighten the squeeze, and keep gradually tightening 
it, never diminishing the pressure, but not in- 
creasing it if your aim is getting wrong, and begin- 
ning to increase it again as you correct your aim. 
If you are increasing the squeeze properly, you 
will find, just as your aim is perfect, and a fraction 
of time before the word ''six,'' the hammer will 
have fallen and you will not have jerked or moved 
ojff your aim. With an automatic pistol there is 
no need to cock it after the first shot, but with a 
revolver the instant the hammer has fallen, cock 
quietly with your right thumb, and lower your pistol 
to the table as before. In all cocking, I mean it 
to be understood that it must be done with one 
movement of the right thumb, the finger well 
clear of the trigger so as not to break or wear the 
sear-notch, and the left arm, left hand, and body 
not moved in any way, as already illustrated. 
After you have done this a few times, and have 
confidence, you may load several chambers of the 
revolver, having exploded, or empty, cartridges 
in the other chambers, so as not to injure the nose 
of the hammer or the mainspring. The cartridges, 
loaded and unloaded, should be put in in irregular 
order, and the barrel spun round, so that you do 
not know when you have a loaded one to fire. 
Now, go through the same drill as before ; most 



70 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

likely, if the first cartridge is an empty one, you 
will be surprised to find you jerked it off instead 
of squeezing, owing to fear of the recoil; but if 
this is so, expecting your next shot to be also an 
empty cartridge, you will give a nice, smooth, 
gradual ''let-off," with the result that you will 
get a ''bull,'' or close to it. The following shot, 
in consequence of your being too eager, will al- 
most certainly be a very wild one, most likely 
below the target. This is caused by jerking the 
trigger, which results in bobbing the muzzle down. 
It is curious that, contrary to the usual idea that 
in firing quickly with a pistol one is prone to 
*' shoot over,'' the exact reverse is the case, and 
that snatching at the trigger generally gives a low 
left shot. I have my pistols for rapid-firing 
competitions sighted to shoot higher than the 
others, to counteract this. 

After a little of this sort of practice, you can get 
to loading all the chambers of a revolver. Now 
the great thing is "time." Time and shoot like a 
machine. At Bisley one sees men fire one shot 
directly the target appears; the next too late — 
after the target has begun to go down ; and when- 
ever a shot goes wide, they dance about, stamp, 
or swear, and shift their position constantly, half 
raise the pistol and lower it again, and more antics 
follow in the same fashion. A man who shoots 



Disappearing Target 71 

in this style may as well go home, for all the prizes 
he will win. I never trouble to look at his target; 
seeing his ''form'' tells me what his target must 
look like. 

By your constant practice with the metronome, 
you ought to get the ''time'' so impressed on your 
mind that you could work the target at the proper 
intervals without any metronome to indicate the 
time. Your hand "comes up" simultaneously 
with the target ; you fire just before it disappears 
(some of my highest possibles were made with the 
target just on the "wobble" of disappearing as I 
fired each shot) ; every instant must be utilized 
for the aim, and there must be no hiury or flurry. 
In fact, you become a "workman." 

Do not get into the trick of "coming up" too 
soon before the target appears. There is nothing 
to be gained by it, and you might be disqualified. 
If a shot goes wrong or there is a misfire (you are 
allowed another shot for a misfire), keep on just 
as though nothing had happened ; pay no attention 
to the number of shots you have fired in the score, 
or how many more you have to ''go." I have often 
started to "come up" again for a shot, not know- 
ing that my sixth had already "gone," so mechan- 
ical had my shooting become. 

In practice, never fire if you feel you are "off" 
the "bull"; better "come down" with the target, 



72 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

without shooting, and fire the next time the target 
''comes up/' In this way you will perhaps ''come 
up '* ten times for your six shots; but you will have 
good shots for those that you have fired, and will 
be encouraged much more and get better practice 
than by firing a lot of wild shots, which as you 
fired, you knew were badly aimed. 

At Bisley, I find this the easiest competition of 
any, more so, if there is no wind, than the station- 
ary twenty-yards target, but one can only keep 
it up for a short time. One gradually gets into 
the swing of it, till one can "throw'' each shot 
right into the "bull's" centre. This keeps up for 
a few entries; as one's arm tires, one begins to 
lose the absolute precision. It is then useless 
to continue shooting and it is time to take a 
rest. 

You need a large front sight and open "U," 
so as to get your aim quickly. My favourite 
revolver has very coarse sights, — a front sight 
which, in aiming, seems nearly as large as the 
"bull." 

I like the sun as much behind me as possible 
for this and any other quick-firing or moving- 
object competition, as you can then at once see 
the hit on the target and can correct it, if necessary, 
at the next shot. At a stationary target, this 
seeing the hit at once does not matter, as you have 



Disappearing Target 73 

plenty of time to locate your shot with your 
telescope. 

In any competition in which unlimited entries 
are allowed, it is best to give up shooting an entry 
at your first bad shot and to start a fresh entry 
instead of shooting out the full six shots. Many 
men say, '' It is better to keep on, as it is practice/' 
In my experience I find that everyone has strings 
of better shots than his average and these may 
commence at any time. If you have a three, for 
instance, as your second shot of a score, you may 
have four sevens to finish up with ; then your next 
score may begin with two sevens and then a two. 
There are thus two scores spoilt, whereas, if you 
had retired at the shot counting three in your first 
score, and started another score, you would have 
had a string of six sevens in your second score, 
making a highest possible score of forty-two. I 
have so often seen this sort of thing happen to 
others (though I have never allowed it to happen to 
myself) that I am sure it is false economy at Bisley, 
except in the limited-entry series, not to stop and 
begin afresh the moment you get a shot out of the 
bull. 

Another thing men do is to keep shooting pool 
to ''get practice,'' as they call it, till they shoot 
themselves out and make bad scores in competi- 
tion. The place to practise is at home; there is 



74 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

no economy in paying half-a-crown for every six 
shots at Bisley, when you can shoot as much as 
you like at home for nothing. The rapid-firing 
and fifty -yards competitions being more difficult, 
3^ou may allow yourself one or two sixes in a score 
before beginning again; but stop at the first shot 
scoring less than six points. 

If possible, choose a time when there is no one 
shooting at the target next you; as, even if you 
do not find yourself ^^ letting loose'' at the sound 
of his firing, — he most likely, timing himself all 
wrong, — the smoke from his shots may drift across 
you, and spoil your view of the target. 

Do not shoot whilst a man is ^* arranging his 
things,'' or ''bringing up his target" next you; it 
will distract your attention. 

Shoot one entry in each series of competitions, 
— disappearing, rapid-firing, etc., — and then take 
the competition in which you have done worst 
(comparatively worst, should be said, as thirty- 
six in the rapid-firing is equal to forty-one at the 
stationary twenty-yards) and beat that score. 
The moment you have beaten that sufficiently 
for one of your scores in another series to be the 
worst, go at that one; and so keep pushing the 
worst along. This gives you a better aggregate 
than any other system, and prizes are given for 
aggregates. 



Disappearing Target 75 

Be sure to look through your barrel after each 
entry, and wipe it out frequently. Quick shoot- 
ing, especially in hot, dry weather, cakes and leads 
the barrel and spoils accuracy. If the pistol sticks 
or grates, however slightly, it is apt to spoil one's 
''time." At Bisley, you must not ''wipe out'' 
during the shots of an entry. Where, however, 
there is no rule against it, "wipe out" after every 
shot at stationary targets, and use only one of 
the chambers if using a revolver. When you 
open the revolver after each entry, look care- 
fully to see if the caps were struck in the centre, 
especially if you have made a bad shot. Should 
they be hit on the side, clean the revolver; if this 
still continues, take another. It is useless to keep 
on while this is happening. 

Be very careful to see that you are using your 
own ammunition, the proper sort for each par- 
ticular pistol, and not taking some other that 
happens to be lying about. Also be very partic- 
ular to have your pistol passed, the trigger-pull 
tested, and ammunition examined before shooting, 
by the official appointed for the purpose by the 
National Rifle Association, whose office is at the 
firing-point. This should be done every day, 
morning and afternoon, — as the trigger-pull may 
have altered, — so that there shall be no chance of 
disqualification after a good score is made. 



76 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

Although it is, as a rule, best to finish your 
shooting at one class of competition, either moving 
or stationary, the change from one to the other 
gives a rest if you find yourself getting tired or 
discouraged. Moreover, as above explained, you 
secure a better ''aggregate*' by shifting from one 
series to another, though such changing would 
easily confuse a beginner. For the beginner, 
therefore, it may be as well to study one particular 
competition and compete in it only at Bisley the 
first year. This will probably place him high in 
the prize-list, and encourage further perseverance 
another year. 



CHAPTER XI 

STATIONARY FIFTY -YARDS TARGET 

NOW we come to the fifty-yards target. 
To shoot in this series (known as ''The Long 
Range'') you require the smallest and finest sights 
which you can see clearly without trying your 
eyes. There is no advantage in having them 
smaller than you can see properly. 

Also, it is well to have several pistols with 
sights of different sizes, and differently sighted: 
some high, some low, some to the right, and some 
to the left, so as to suit varying light. 

By the Bisley rules, you are not allowed to ad- 
just your sights. 

I have experimented with peep-sights; but one 
cannot hold a pistol steadily enough to get the 
full advantage of a peep-sight. 

Have a Zeis glass and locate each shot, correct- 
ing the next, if necessary, by altering your aim — 
as the rules will not permit you to alter the sights ; 
shoot very deliberately ; rest your eyes frequently ; 
stop at every breath of air, and only fire when you 
are ''dead sure.'* Clean after each entry. 

77 



78 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

Do not keep on too long at this range. A few 
entries now and again are best, as it is very strain- 
ing to the eyes and trying to the muscles. 

I prefer a heavy charge, as giving more accuracy 
at fifty yards; but one cannot stand many shots 
with a heavy charge without feeling the conse- 
quences. 

I do not think this deliberate shooting at fifty- 
yards at a stationary mark worth practising as a 
pistol is for quick shooting at a moving or moment- 
arily appearing mark. 



CHAPTER XII 

TEAM SHOOTING AND COACHING 

WHEN you are a member of a team, do exactly 
what the captain of the team directs you. 
Never mind if you think that he is wrong, and 
that you could do better w^ork in your own way. 
It is ^'his show,'' and he alone is responsible ; merely 
shoot as well as you can in his way. Of course, 
if he should ask your advice, that is a different 
thing. Should another member of your team ask 
your advice, refer him to your captain. 

If you are captain of a team, and have the choice 
of men, select, preferably, men whose nerve can 
be relied upon; a veteran who does not get '* rat- 
tled,'' even if only a moderate shot, is preferable 
to a brilliant beginner who may go all to pieces 
at a critical moment. 

The man I prefer in a team is one who always 
shoots a good consistent score, — never brilliantly, 
yet never badly ; you can always rely upon him to 
shoot up to his form. If you have two such men, 
let one of them shoot the first score, — if possible 
against your adversaries' best man, — so as to give 

79 



8o Automatic Pistol Shooting 

your team confidence that they are Hkely to hold 
their own. 

Reserve yourself — or your most reliable shot, 
who can be trusted not to lose his head — for 
emergencies, such as these: to shoot last, when 
everything depends upon making a good score; 
when the light is bad and likely to improve later; 
if there is a wind that may drop later; for pulling 
up a score when the other team is leading; for 
getting the sighting when you retire to the fifty- 
yards range; to shoot, ''turn and turn about,'' 
against the most nervous or dangerous man of the 
other team, etc. 

You should specially notice if any of your team 
are getting nervous; prevent their watching good 
shooting by their adversaries, or looking at and 
comparing scores. Encourage them to think that 
their own team is so strong that their own indi- 
vidual shortcomings do not matter. You can, 
in this way, ''nurse'' a man along who is on the 
verge of "going to pieces." 

If possible, do not let your men know how the 
scores stand. If there is a wind, rain, or bad light, 
consult with your most "weather-wise" man, 
and decide how to "place" your bad shots so as 
to give them the easiest "shoot." That is to say, 
if the wind is likely to drop later, shoot your strong 
shots when the weather is unfavourable. 



Team Shooting and Coaching 8i 

It is also a good thing to have a reliable member 
of the team stand behind each one who is shooting, 
to ''spot'' for him, keep time for him, and other- 
wise coach him, watching the time constantly, 
so as to let his man know instantly — if he asks 
— how much longer the time-limit allows him. 
Coaching is allowed in team shooting, but not in 
ordinary individual competitions. 

Do not let any member of your team leave the 
range on any account till the competition is over. 

Have a man or two extra, in case of anything 
disabling or preventing one of your team from 
shooting. 

Do not let two men shoot with the same revol- 
ver, as both men may be wanted to shoot at the 
same time. 

Do not scold a man, however badly he may be 
doing; you only flurry him, and it does no good. 

Do not have any refreshments for your team 
until the competition is over. 



CHAPTER XIII 

SHOOTING IN COMPETITIONS 

WHEN shooting in competition, be careftil not 
to spoil your opponent's scores. Never 
approach or leave the firing-point while he is aim- 
ing or about to shoot. If he is about to shoot, 
and there be time, reserve your shot till he has 
fired ; and do not fidget with your revolver or car- 
tridges or get your target drawn up whilst he is 
aiming. Keep perfectly still and silent till his 
shot has gone off. Do not speak to him at any 
time, except to answer some question of his. If 
he is at all nervous, you might by a slight move- 
ment or word ruin his score. 

Read carefully, before shooting, the rules of the 
competition in which you are about to engage, 
and be sure you comply with every detail of them. 
If you find you have, inadvertently, transgressed 
a rule, report to the range officer at once, and get 
your score cancelled. 

Write your name very distinctly on your score- 
card; I have known a man to lose a prize owing 

82 



Shooting in Competitions 83 

to his name being illegible on the score-card. 
See that your shots have been entered properly 
and rightly added up and corrections initialled. 

Have your target dated and signed by the range 
officer, with the name of the competition also 
inscribed, and keep it as evidence in case your 
card should get lost. Be sure you do not by 
mistake have a score entered on a ticket belonging 
to another series. 

Before shooting in competition I put a weight 
in a chemist's scale equal to the average w^eight of 
one of my loaded cartridges. I weigh each car- 
tridge against it ; put all of the correct weight aside 
for Bisley, and keep the others for practice. By 
this means I minimize the chance of a weak or 
too strong shot. 

When you are at the firing-point, pay no atten- 
tion to what any one else is doing, or to what scores 
have been, or are being, made, or to any of your 
scores being beaten ; the great thing is to have the 
average all round high for the aggregate prizes. 
If you are constantly watching the scores of others, 
rushing from range to range as your various 
scores are passed, you will have much less chance 
of making good scores than if you keep plodding 
on, constantly adding a point or two to your 
^gg^egate. You can afterwards try to beat indi- 
vidual scores, if necessary. Of course, if you at 
any I*/.:?, in any one series, get a score which you 



84 Automatic Pistol Shooting- 

think is up to the Hmit of your skill, you may let 
that series alone till you have reached your limit 
in another series. Never watch a good man 
shooting; it will only make you doubt if you can 
beat him. It is also tiring yoin* eyes uselessly. 

Do not read or use your eyes any more than is 
absolutely necessary. When resting, dark glasses 
will be found a great relief to the eyes. I find that 
if I am getting tired of shooting, a half-hour's 
gallop on a horse that does not pull freshens me 
up, and helps to divert my thoughts; others may 
prefer lying quietly down and shutting the eyes. 

If you find yourself getting stale, drop the whole 
thing, even for several days. It will not be time 
wasted, as you will shoot better afterwards; and 
you will certainly get worse if you keep on without 
rest. 

Never protest or dispute a score or decision. 
The range officers are doing their best under very 
trying circumstances. If you think any decision 
wrong, say nothing about it and forget it; you 
will only spoil your shooting if you worry about it. 
Just set your teeth and make a score a point better 
than the disputed one ought, in your opinion, to 
have been. The protesting man is a nuisance 
both to himself and everyone else. 

Should you see a man infringing the rules, 
leave it to others to protest. 



CHAPTER XIV 

DUELLING 

THE mere word duelling appears to shallow 
minds a subject for so-called ''humour/' 
like mothers-in-law and cats, but a moment's 
thought will show that, in certain circumstances, 
the duel forms the only possible solution to a 
difficulty. And it is not an unmixed blessing 
that duelling is abolished in England as ''Vanoc'' 
in The Referee truly says. ''For some reasons," 
he writes, "the abolition of duelling [he means in 
England] is a mistake. Insolent and offensive 
language is now too frequently indulged in with 
impunity. . . . The best rule of all is never to 
take liberties yourself, and never to allow liber- 
ties to be taken with you, and to remember that 
self-defence is still the noble art." 

I think, though, that the still nobler art is the 
defence of others, and there are cases — which 
need not be gone into here — when a man must 
fight. 

One of the reasons for this "humorous " attitude 

85 



86 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

in the English mind (it does not exist abroad) is 
because sometimes abroad young men, wishing to 
advertise themselves, or their political ideas, fight 
duels, all the time never intending to hit each 
other, and in fact intentionally firing in the air. 

When two good shots ^'mean business,'' a pistol 
duel is a very deadly affair, as is shown by the 
number of men who have been killed in them. 

A duel with swords gives more advantage to a 
younger or a taller man, or to a man in the pink 
of condition, but a pistol duel will enable a much 
older man to hold his own. 

The challenged has the right to choose weapons, 
and if he choose pistols it is understood that the 
meeting should be conducted with single-shot 
duelling pistols. 

The British public are accustomed to confuse 
the words '' pistol'* and ''revolver," and most 
pistol duels are described as ''duels with revolvers " 
by those not understanding such things; but the 
revolver is not recognized as a duelling weapon, 
and any fight with revolvers would on the Conti- 
nent lead to a trial for murder if any one were 
killed. 

In challenging, the person considering himself 
aggrieved asks two of his friends to act as his 
seconds, and these he sends to his adversary. The 
latter at once appoints tw^o seconds for himself, 



Duelling 87 

and the four seconds then make all the necessary 
arrangements. 

First they call upon a gunmaker — combatants 
in a duel are not allowed to use their own weapons 
— and two single-shot muzzle-loading duelling pis- 
tols of regulation pattern are chosen. 

In the presence of the seconds these are loaded 
by the gunmaker and put into a case, which is 
then sealed. 

This case is taken to the duelling ground by the 
gunmaker and the seal is not broken until every- 
thing else is ready, the reason of course being to 
prevent tampering with the pistols, or loads, or 
obtaining practice with that particular pair of 
pistols. 

A doctor is present at the duel with all neces- 
sary appliances. 

On the ground the seconds draw lots for where 
their men are to stand, it being of advantage to 
have sun and wind at one's back, or left rear. 

The distance is twenty -five metres, marked by 
canes stuck in the ground, and the shooters stand 
facing each other. 

When all is in readiness, the seconds break the 
seal of the pistol case, then the director of the duel 
takes the weapons out, holding them by the bar- 
rels, one pistol in each hand, and presents the 
butt ends to the duellist to whom the lot has 



88 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

fallen to have first choice. The other pistol is 
handed to his adversary. 

If shots are exchanged without result, the duel- 
lists exchange places for the next shot. 

It is not permissible to try the trigger-pull by 
cocking and lowering the hammer, but about how 
light or heavy the pull is can be ascertained to 
some extent when cocking. A light click indicates 
a light pull, and a loud click a heavier one. 

It is usual, especially if the duellists are good 
shots, and if they happen to be very angry with 
each other, to give them a very heavy trigger- 
pull in order to make it more difficult for them to 
hit each other. For the same reason the words of 
command in such cases are given very quickly. 
This prevents getting aim. It is well always to 
give a good strong pull back when firing, so as to 
avoid pulling off to the side if you have been given 
a very heavy trigger-pull. 

Finally the duellists cock their pistols, the 
seconds stand clear, and the director of the fight 
stands midway between the duellists and about 
six metres back of the line between them. 

The duellists stand with their right elbows 
touching their right hips, butt of pistol to thigh, 
and their pistols pointing at the ground. 

The director calls: ''Attention — Feu! Un — 
deux — trois!'' 



Duelling 89 

If either is not ready at the word ''attention/' 
he says so, but otherwise after the word ''feu'' 
he raises his pistol and must fire before the word 
"trois'' is spoken. 

If he does not have the butt of his pistol to his 
thigh, and muzzle to ground; or if he raises his 
pistol or even moves it before the word "feu''; or 
if he fires after the word "trois" has been spoken, 
and he kills his man, he is liable, if his adversary's 
seconds lodge a complaint, to be tried for murder. 

The usual speed at which these words are spo- 
ken is a hundred words to the minute, but, as I 
have said, the director often hurries the words 
in order to baffle the duellists and prevent their 
injuring each other fatally. 

Whether the duel should continue if neither 
combatant is sufficiently injured after the inter- 
change of shots to prevent his going on shooting 
is a matter that the seconds have arranged be- 
tween them before the duel begins. It depends 
chiefly upon the gravity of the reason for which 
the duel is fought. 

The position to stand in, in my opinion, should 
not be quite sideways. 

Of course one should, theoretically, make as 
small a target as possible for one's opponent, and 
therefore the coat should be buttoned close. But 
whereas if standing quite sideways one makes a 



90 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

smaller mark, if hit when in that position the 
wound will probably prove more dangerous. 

A bullet which would perforate both lungs of a 
man standing sideways, will most likely go through 
one lung only if he be standing more full face. 
Several other internal organs are also safer when 
the shooters stand full face; by leaning forward 
the ribs are closer together and afford protection 
to the heart and lungs ; also from a shooting point 
of view, one can make much better practice when 
standing more or less facing the object to be hit, 
than when craning one's head round to try and 
look over one's right shoulder, and so hampering 
one's right arm and straining the eyes. 

It is generally considered that one should look 
as dark as possible to one's opponent, and turn 
up one's collar to avoid showing a white mark. 
But with this I am not sure that I quite agree. 
Personally I should prefer to shoot at an entirely 
black target without a white collar or white patch 
anywhere diverting one's eye, imless that white 
was at a place one wanted to hit. 

But, if a very bad shot were going to fire at 
me, I should prefer his trying to hit my collar, 
as he would then be more likely to shoot over 
my head, or to miss me by shooting past me, 
than if he tried to hit me in the middle of the body. 

The white collar would, however, be hidden by 



Duelling 91 

the right hand and pistol as soon as the pistol 
was raised, if aim were taken at an opponent's 
head. 

The position safest for yourself is to aim at your 
opponent's head, and to get on to that position 
immediately after the word ''feu/' keeping your 
own head low. 

Your right hand and the pistol-butt protect 
your throat and a good deal of your face and head 
if you lower your face as much as possible. 

Some men stand in the position of lunging in 
fencing, which makes a still smaller target of the 
body, but then this exposes them to a more raking 
fire, and a shot which would only pierce the thigh 
of the right leg, if the duellist were standing up- 
right, might glance along the thigh and penetrate 
the abdomen if he were standing in a lunging 
attitude, but it looks more manly to stand per- 
fectly erect. 

A level-headed man would never agree to 
fight a duel unless he deemed it justifiable, and 
then most likely his whole attention would be 
concentrated upon killing his opponent, and con- 
siderations of personal safety would be neglected; 
in the same way that a steeplechase rider thinks 
only of winning and not of his personal safety — if 
it is otherwise he is no good as a cross-country 
rider. 



92 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

As the great object is to hit an opponent before 
he hits you, — as, if he hits you first, even slightly, 
he may spoil your aim, — it is better to hit him 
as low as possible, provided the bullet strikes high 
enough to injure him. 

It takes time to raise the pistol to the level of 
his head, or even of his armpit, whereas with 
practice you can flip the wrist up and hit him in 
the thigh or hip without raising the arm at all, 
and immediately after the word ''Un.'' 

If you hit him in the thigh it would not be of 
much use in a serious duel, so the hip level is the 
point to try for. 

An instance of perfect timing was that of a re- 
cent fatal duel where one man killed the other 
immediately after ''feu,'' before his adversary 
had time to raise his pistol. 

In the report of a certain duel which took place 
in France recently several of the English papers 
made stupid jokes because one of the duellists 
did not fire his pistol (he placed it behind his 
back) at the word ''feu.'' The writers seemed to 
think he had forgotten to fire, because, when 
questioned as to why he did not fire, he answered, 
"/'az oublie,'' Of course any one conversant with 
duelling would have known that by acting thus he 
meant that he did not desire to kill or to wound 
his adversary. A good shot who for any reason 



Duelling 93 

did not wish to hit his adversary would always put 
his pistol behind him rather than shoot wide and 
get credit for making a miss. It is more digni- 
fied to do this, if one does not want to shoot an 
adversary, than to miss on purpose. Moreover, 
the latter act might be misconstrued into an at- 
tempt to kill. 

By French law, if a man is killed in a duel, the body 
must be left where it fell and the police informed 
at once. The police then make an investigation. 
The adversary is arrested and tried subsequently 
at the Court of Assizes. He ought, of course, to 
stop by the body and give himself up. He and 
his seconds may be condemned to imprisonment. 

Not wanting to kill an adversary is also the 
reason so many duels are bloodless. Men, in the 
heat of an argument, challenge each other. In 
cooler moments, they see that the cause of quarrel 
was not of sufficient importance to warrant their 
killing, or attempting to kill, each other. Yet 
neither likes to apologize lest this should look 
like cowardice; so the two exchange a shot, and 
both miss on purpose. 

In this connection I may mention that the 
American law does not apply in the case of a duel 
fought by a citizen of the United States outside 
the geographical limits of that country ; for, accord- 
ing to Mr. R. Newton Crane, no offence is com- 



94 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

mitted by the fact that an American citizen has 
participated in a duel beyond the jurisdiction of 
the United States. The citizenship of the com- 
batant is, in such circumstances, immaterial. 

''On the other hand,'' he continues, ''sending, 
knowingly bearing, or accepting a challenge, in 
England or America, renders the sender, bearer, or 
accepter liable to punishment by the laws of 
England or America as the case may be, whether 
the duel is subsequently fought or not, and 
whether it is fought in England or America or 
abroad, and whether the offending party is an 
Englishman, American, or a foreigner. Provok- 
ing a man to send a challenge is also an indict- 
able offence. 

*' The law applicable to the punishment for ac- 
tually fighting the duel is, on the other hand, the 
law of the place where the duel is fought, and that 
law only applies to the offence. 

" Provocation, however great, is no excuse, 
though it might weigh with the Court in fixing the 
punishment. Under the English law the punish- 
ment for sending, bearing, or accepting a chal- 
lenge is fine or imprisonment without hard labour, 
or both. Each of the States of the United States 
has penalties for the offence, which though differing 
in detail are practically the same in substance as 
those provided by the English law. '' 



Duelling 95 

Whilst for a revolver I advocate holding the 
thumb along the top of the grip, the stock is too 
straight for this hold with the duelling pistol, and 
the thumb must therefore be turned down. 

How far you hold up the stock must be deter- 
mined by practice. If you hold very high up, 
and you have a muscular or fat hand, the flesh 
between your thumb and forefinger will hide your 
hind sight. Hold it as high up as possible, how- 
ever, and do not get too much of the forefinger 
round the trigger; also remember to squeeze 
straight back in practising for duelling 

A metronome to beat 100 to the minute is used. 
You cock the pistol and stand with the left foot 
behind the line of fire, — the right foot may 
be outside, — your elbow touching your hip, the 
butt of the pistol touching your thigh, and the 
pistol pointing at the ground. 

Be very careful not to touch the trigger, as 
the pull is so light; be careful also not to point 
the muzzle at-your right foot, for in that case you 
might put a bullet through your foot in the event 
of an accidental discharge. 

The assistant, speaking at the speed of the 
metronome, says: ''Attention! Feu! Un — deux 
— trois ! '' At the word '' feu '' you raise the pistol, 
which must be fired before the word ''trois.'' 

The target consists of a black figure of a man 



96 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

in profile. Shoot as I recommend at a disappear- 
ing target, but there are some dififerences. 

Besides the grip and balance of the duelling 
pistol being different from those of the revolver, 
the pistol has to be raised from pointing to the 
ground, instead of from the hip level. This has 
a tendency to make you shoot low, as the time 
taken in raising the arm has to be hurried. 

If your last shot was low, aim higher ; if it was 
high, aim lower. 

If you are careful to squeeze, instead of jerking, 
you are almost sure always to hit the figure, the 
only misses allowable being a graze of the waist to 
the left, or under the chin to the right. 

Doctor Devilliers has patented a bullet for prac- 
tising duelling, the competitors shooting at each 
other. The bullet is useful also for indoor shoot- 
ing where a leaden bullet would be dangerous. 

The composition of the bullet is a secret, but 
the bullet is light, and, when propelled by a cap 
with fulminate only, gives a hard rap where it 
strikes. 

When shooting with it at a man the following 
precautions must be observed, according to the 
inventor. 

I. ''Don't shoot at less than twenty metres." 
It is useless to shoot with it at more than twenty 
metres, as the bullet rapidly loses its accuracy 



Duelling 97 

beyond that distance; the blow at twenty metres 
distance is not severe if one is properly protected 
against it. 

2. ^' Wear goggles, a fencing mask, and gloves." 
The goggles are now made part of the mask, and 
are of very thick glass, while instead of the shooter's 
wearing a glove, a metal shield is affixed to the 
pistol. The hand must not be lowered before your 
opponent fires. I once shot against a friend who 
omitted this precaution, and my bullet cut away 
the flesh at the lower part of his thumb. 

3. *^Wear a black linen blouse.'' This may 
be necessary to prevent your clothes being soiled, 
but it makes you a bigger target for your opponent. 
Therefore a tight-fitting coat is better. I shoot 
with no body protection. 

4. ''In winter be careful that the bullets do 
not freeze." I find it best to keep the loaded 
pistols on ice for some time before shooting — 
not letting them freeze, however — and not to let 
the pistol get too hot, for if the barrel gets hot 
the bullet does not take the rifling. 



CHAPTER XV 

SHOOTING OFF HORSEBACK 

WHEN shooting oflf a standing horse at a 
stationary mark, turn the horse facing to 
the left at an angle of forty -five degrees. This is 
to prevent his flinching at the shots, as any but 
a very seasoned horse would be sure to do if you 
shot straight over his head or close past his ears. 
Also, if he were to toss his head when you were 
shooting over it, you might both kill him and get 
either a rearing backward fall, with the horse 
on top of you, or else a ''purler'' over his head. 
If the horse shies away from the outstretched arm, 
tie a handkerchief over his off eye, as the bull- 
fighters do, until he is accustomed to the noise 
and flash. 

There should be a bar in front of the horse to 
prevent his getting closer to the target than the 
distance for which the match is arranged; but if 
the bar is low, and the horse a good fencer, he is 
apt to jump at the bar. It is very difficult to get 
a horse to keep absolutely still, and for that reason 

98 



Shooting off Horseback 99 

it is often more difficult to shoot when the horse 
is fidgeting than when he is swinging along in a 
gallop. 

For shooting on a gallop or canter, the French 
rubber balloons filled with water, put up on the 
** heads and posts" principle, are very good marks, 
as they can be shot at with wooden or Devilliers 
bullets, shooting alternately to the right and 
left. These rubber balloons are filled with water 
by a syringe which can be set to inflate them 
to any size, and the mouth of the balloon is 
closed by simply squeezing the metal mouth to- 
gether. I can also recommend a target on the 
principle of the Bisley ''running deer,'' travelling 
on rails parallel to a railing, on the other side 
of which the shooter gallops and which prevents 
his getting too close to the target. 

Firing blank ammunition at ''lightning paper" 
stuck in the cleft of a stick is very good practice. 
The paper flares up on being touched by burning 
particles of powder, but of course the shooting 
must be done at a distance of a few feet only. 

I do not think there is much advantage in 
cantering too slowly ; the speed at which the horse 
goes smoothest, without raking or boring, is the 
best. 

For practical purposes, shooting behind one, 
when galloping, is useful. This is, I think, best 



100 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

practised with blank ammunition at the Hghtning 
paper, or with Devilliers bullets, otherwise it would 
be too dangerous. It is an assistance, when first 
learning, to catch hold of the pommel of the sad- 
dle with the bridle hand as you swing your body 
round to fire. When shooting alternately to right 
and left, be sure to lift the muzzle of the revolver 
clear of the horse's head as you swing it from side 
to side, or you may shoot your horse through the 
head, if he should happen to toss it at that 
moment. 

It is useless to try to shoot off a horse unless 
both you and your horse understand ^^ school'' 
riding. An ordinary hunter, ridden in the ordi- 
nary hunting style, needing both hands to lug at 
his head, and requiring half a field to stop or 
turn him in, is very dangerous at this game. 

The horse must turn, change legs, stop dead, 
and start again under the control of one hand 
only. 

A horse that naturally leads with his near leg 
when allowed to choose his own lead is preferable, 
as, having to range up on the near side of the mark, 
you can shoot better leading on the near leg, as 
this turns you slightly towards the mark. A horse 
is smoothest in his natural lead, and is rougher 
and consequently more difficult to shoot off when 
leading on the other leg. 



Shooting off Horseback loi 

One can wear the holster as the cowboys do — 
a belt round the waist and the revolver hanging 
on the right hip, not round the waist in front as 
army men carry it. In front it is in the way of 
your bridle hand, and it is not so handy to draw; 
but, worn on the hip, it is also dangerous in case 
of a fall, and is perhaps best in a saddle holster. 

The revolver must fit loosely, so as to draw 
easily; but the holster must be deep enough, and 
must hang so as not to drop the pistol out in 
galloping. The flap of the saddle — where the 
hunting-horn is carried — is a good place to hang 
the holster, but this arrangement might hurt one 
if the horse rolled over; and one might be left 
defenceless by the horse galloping off with the 
pistol. 

I prefer a short-cheeked, single-rein curb with 
a loose curb-chain. 

Why do writers so often talk of ''pressing with 
the knee'' to turn a horse? One uses the knees to 
grip with and the legs for turning and collecting, 
etc. 

I do not recommend a martingale if it can 
possibly be avoided, as it is apt to throw a horse 
down. 



CHAPTER XVI 

PISTOL SHOOTING FOR LADIES 

A PISTOL puts the weakest woman, who is a 
good shot, on an equality with the strongest 
man. It is especially suitable for ladies to defend 
themselves with, as they have, as a rule, steadier 
hands than men, and there are certain pistols, 
just suited for ladies, which give no recoil, and 
yet are practical weapons. '^U. M. C' gallery 
ammunition in a big .44 calibre Smith & Wesson 
Russian Model gives practically no recoil, and 
I have seen a lady do very good target shooting 
with it. With this revolver and load I have 
killed three rabid, or alleged rabid, dogs, so it is 
a practical killing load. I use the same revolver 
and ammunition for shooting park bucks. 

Every lady should, to my mind, know how to 
use a pistol. She may at any time be in China 
or some other country where there are savage 
natives; and there is none of that danger of bruis- 
ing the body which is so harmful to ladies using 
guns or rifles. 

102 



Pistol Shooting for Ladies 103 

The Smith & Wesson hammerless safety revol- 
vers of .38 and .32 caHbre are especially suitable 
for self-defence for ladies ; but I should not recom- 
mend a lady to use these or any other short, light 
self-defence revolvers unless it be actually neces- 
sary, as the recoil is heavy and apt to hurt a lady's 
hand (particularly between the first finger and 
thumb) and tear the skin. This is inevitable in a 
revolver made as light and as portable as possible, 
and expected, nevertheless, to shoot a very heavy 
charge. 

The best plan is to fire a few shots (the hand 
being protected with a thick driving glove, from 
which the forefinger has been cut off), or, better 
still, ask a good shot, who also knows your ''sight- 
ing,'' to do so for you, just to get the sights filed 
right, and then keep this pistol for self-defence 
only, and do practising and competing with a 
more accurate and more pleasant shooting weapon. 

The pistol to be used for practice and in com- 
petitions must depend upon your physique. If 
you are moderately strong, I think the .44 Russian 
Model Smith & Wesson, with the Union Metallic 
Cartridge Co.'s gallery ammunition, is as good as 
any ; or, if this is too heavy, the .38 or .32 calibre 
Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers, with gallery 
ammunition, are very good and are specially in- 
tended for the use of ladies. The first-named 



104 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

revolvers are no longer made, but the solid frame 
revolvers of the same make and calibre are very 
suitable also, if shot with a gallery charge, if a 
second-hand Russian model revolver cannot be 
found. 

The Smith & Wesson .32 calibre in 44 calibre 
frame, which I like for fifty-yards target shooting 
is rather heavy for a lady. Ladies who are of 
slight build may find it too heavy ; but with gallery 
ammunition it has no recoil whatever, which is a 
great advantage for ladies. 

Always have a barrel not shorter than five inches 
and not longer than six inches, and save the weight, 
if you want a light weapon, in the general make- 
up of the revolver, fluted barrel, etc., not in 
length of barrel, as you lose so much accuracy 
with a three-inch or four-inch barrel that it spoils 
any pleasure in shooting. 

If you confine yourself to light ammunition, 
you can get a very light revolver which is safe 
with that charge, and has no recoil to speak of. 

The Smith & Wesson, which has interchange- 
able barrels of .32 calibre for revolver, and .22 
for single-shot pistol, is a very suitable weapon 
for a lady. 

The lighter forms of single-shot Stevens pistols 
of .22 calibre are exceptionally well adapted to 
the use of ladies who prefer a single-shot pistol. 



Pistol Shooting for Ladies 105 

The Colt .22 calibre revolver is very nice for ladies' 
use. 

In mentioning particular firms, both here and 
elsewhere in this book, I must not be understood 
to mean that the weapons of any one maker are 
better than those of another. All first-class mak- 
ers turn out good revolvers and pistols; and I 
merely mention those revolvers and pistols which 
I have used and am personally acquainted with, 
and which I find answer my requirements. 

A lady can carry a pistol hidden for self-defence 
in many more ways than a man, owing to her 
draperies affording more places for concealment. 
Cloaks, capes, etc., make good hiding-places for 
a pistol; inside a muff is about one of the best 
places; and a small pistol in the right hand, inside 
a mtiff, that hand hanging down by the side, is 
ready for instant use. As ladies often carry their 
muffs in this way, it does not arouse vSuspicion. 

It is very important for ladies to protect their 
ears when shooting, with Elliot ear protectors. 



CHAPTER XVII 

STAGE SHOOTING 

THIS subject can be subdivided into two parts: 
real, expert, very accurate work, requiring 
great skill and nerve; and conjuring tricks, that 
is to say, shooting assisted by apparatus and the 
arts of the conjurer. The greatest insult that 
can be offered to a professional shot is to call him 
a conjurer. 

To begin with the unaided shooting: You must 
have a safe background to shoot against. The 
best, in my opinion, is a steel plate, leaning to- 
wards you at an angle of forty -five degrees, and 
below it a shallow tray, filled with sand, to catch 
the bullets, which flatten on the steel and drop 
into the tray. As only very light powder-charges 
are used, and as the bullets for this purpose are 
round, or semi-round, this is sufficient. 

It is usual to have something for the bullets to 
go through before striking the steel plate. Green 
baize is good for the eyes as a background; but it 
is dangerous, being very inflammable; it gives 

1 06 



Stage Shooting 107 

off fluff, some of which stands out from the baize, 
and the rest falls to the ground. This is like 
tinder and is liable to catch fire from burning 
particles of powder. Some fabric dipped in a 
non-inflammable mixture should be used; either 
green, white, or black, whichever you find suits 
your eyesight best. The butt is either put 
** prompt*' side of the stage (so that the shooter's 
right arm is nearest the audience), and at a slight 
angle, in order that people may see the target ; or 
it is placed at the back of the stage, the shooter 
standing with his back to the audience. In either 
case, the shooter keeps his ''tools" on a side- 
table, and when he shoots he stands quite clear 
of any table, so as to afford an uninterrupted 
view of all his proceedings. 

The range is about fifteen feet. This may seem 
very short, but it looks a long shot on a stage; 
and it must be remembered that the shooting is at 
very small objects and no misses are allowable. 
The golden rule to be borne in mind in stage shoot- 
ing is: Never hazard a shot that is not very easy 
to you, and which you cannot be practically sure 
of successfully accomplishing. If you try a diffi- 
cult shot and succeed once in three times — such 
as hitting a cork thrown into the air — hardly any 
of the audience will think of you as aught but a 
bad shot; whereas, if you hit six stationary glass 



io8 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

balls — each as big as an orange — in rapid sticces- 
sion, they will think you wonderful ! Several pro- 
fessional self-styled champion pistol shots, use 
both hands to hold their pistols which is never al- 
lowed in any pistol competition, and stamps them 
as no pistol champion. 

WEAPONS 

One or more 44 Russian Model Smith & Wes- 
son target revolvers; Ira Paine target sights; 
hair-trigger; Union Metallic Cartridge Co/s gal- 
lery ammunition. I use the revolvers which 
formerly belonged to Ira Paine; several front 
sights, the finest about the size of the head of a 
small pin, the stalks as fine as a needle; hind sight 
adjustable, both laterally and vertically, with 
screw adjustment ; trigger-pull so light that laying 
the finger on the trigger almost sets it off. With 
such a revolver, of course, extreme care must be 
taken never, for an instant, to have the barrel 
pointed in any direction except that in which it 
would be safe for the bullet to travel, and also 
to keep the finger off the trigger till you actually 
want the bullet to go. 

Ira Paine when shooting at objects on the head 
of an assistant, used to ''come down" from above, 
instead of '^ coming up" in the usual way; so 



Stage Shooting 109 

that if the pistol went off by accident there would 
be no danger to the assistant, as there would be 
if the muzzle travelled up his body to his head in 
sighting from below. 

I do not approve of shooting at objects on the 
head or in the hands of an assistant; it is not, in 
my opinion, justifiable to risk life in this way. 

The other weapon is a Stevens, or Smith & 
Wesson, single-shot ,22 pistol. Some people use 
this to give variety to the show; but I prefer a 
duelling pistol. 

See that a narrow plank of wood — metal would, 
if struck, make a bullet glance — is put in front of 
the butt with slits and clips in it for holding objects. 
As mentioned before, I do not like assistants 
holding them in the fingers, though, for this pur- 
pose, steel thimbles are generally worn over the 
thumb and forefinger, and are concealed by a 
glove. 

Professionals sometimes shoot objects on the 
heads of assistants — generally a lady with her 
hair piled up very high, or wearing a steel skull- 
cap under a wig. Devilliers bullets make such 
shooting practically safe in case of the assistant 
being hit. 

The following shots I recommend to amxateurs 
as safe. Beginning with the easiest, we have: 

Six stationary balls in a row or else the French 



no Automatic Pistol Shooting 

rubber balloons. (The balls are cast from a mix- 
ture of resin and whiting; they are very brittle 
and break at a graze.) Take them as quickly as 
you can be sure of them. With practice, you can 
''snap'' the six off in about four seconds. 

Next extract the used cartridges, and have them 
put in a row on the edge of the board, standing 
them on their bases. Hit them in quick succes- 
sion. This requires a little more care, as they are 
small; but their height prevents your being likely 
to miss vertically, and you have merely to pay 
attention to keeping your horizontal aim correct. 
Be sure not to shoot too low; for if you do, and 
hit the plank, you will jar all of them off it. 

This can be varied, if you are a really good shot, 
by placing the spent cartridges on their sides with 
the cap end towards yourself; but it requires 
good shooting. 

Shooting at an object with a wine glass on each 
side without breaking the glasses is a trick in 
which the difficulty varies according to how close 
the glasses are. 

Put up a piece of paper with a black pencil line 
ruled vertically on it; hit this line. This requires 
care not to ^^pull off to one side. 

A similar line horizontal. This is more difficult, 
as the elevation must be absolutely correct if you 
want to hit the line. 



Stage Shooting iii 

Hit a swinging ball. Take the shot on a turn; 
do not follow, but aim at an imaginary spot just 
inside of where the ball is at one end of its swing, 
aiming at '' IX o'clock,'' as the ball is momentarily 
stationary at its farthest swing to the right, or 
vice versa. 

Put six balls in a row ; hit one with the revolver 
in the right hand, a second with the revolver in 
the left; a third and fourth with the revolver up- 
side down, pulling the trigger with the little finger 
and using alternate hands. The remaining two 
shots to be made with the revolver held half canted 
to the right, and then half canted to the left. 
After a little practice, none of these positions are 
difficult. 

The upside-down shot, as soon as you get used 
to aiming at the top edge of the ball instead of 
the bottom, is a very steady, easy position. For 
the two side ones, you aim at '^IX" and at ''III 
o'clock," respectively. 

Hang your watch on a hook on the board, and 
place a ball resting on this hook. Break the ball. 
This is easy, as the ball is, comparatively, a big 
mark. Aim at the top edge of the ball, so as to 
break it by a grazing shot near the top; this is 
less risky for the watch. 

Do the same with any watches lent by the audi- 
ence. A man once kept lending me his watch 



112 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

for this trick ; I found out afterwards that it would 
not go, and he had hoped that I would hit it and 
thus be compelled to give him another! 

Borrow small objects from the audience, and 
hit them. Stamps on envelopes, visiting cards, 
bits of pencil, etc., are suitable; but do not shoot 
at anything which will make a bullet glance, or you 
may hit some of your audience. Thus a walnut 
is very dangerous, causing bullets to glance. An 
orange or an egg explodes beautifully when hit, 
but both are rather messy. The coloured balls 
for Christmas trees are nice to shoot at; but 
a bullet sometimes makes a hole without break- 
ing them. 

Put up the ace of hearts and hit it. It is usual 
to have a pack composed of only aces of hearts. 
Have several ace cards placed on top of each other, 
and when the bullet goes through the group, have 
the cards ''dealt'' among the audience; or, if at 
a Charity Bazaar, sold singly. 

Put up the six of hearts, and hit the six pips. 
This requires some doing to get all six shots neatly 
in the separate pips. 

Put a card edgeways towards you and cut it 
in half. This is a pretty trick and brings down 
the house when well done. It requires the sam.e 
skill as hitting the vertical pencil lines. If you 
are not very sure of yourself, and you succeed on 



Stage Shooting 113 

the first shot, do not risk a second try. This 
rule applies to all the difficult shots. My best score 
at this game was five cards out of six shots, the 
cards being placed edgewise at a range of fifteen 
feet. 

Hit a string from which an object is hanging. 
Get string w^hich is weak, and have the object 
pretty heavy, or else you may ''nick'' the string 
without its breaking. Berlin wool, with a weight 
so heavy that it strains the wool to nearly break- 
ing-point, breaks with more certainty than string 
or twine. There is an ingenious, though scarcely 
legitimate, way of making this shot very easy. 
You merely double a piece of string and tie a 
knot, hanging it over two nails, the distance be- 
tween which is a fraction under .44 inch. Two 
hooks on the ball are the same distance apart, so 
that the ball is thus hung by a double string. If 
you hit between these, both strings are necessarily 
cut by a .44 bullet, if your aim be true, while one 
is cut even if you hit half an inch out. 

Put a rubber balloon filled with red fluid on top of 
an empty claret glass; break the ball, and the 
glass will be filled with the fluid. Take care the 
ball fits very loosely, and rests only slightly in 
the glass, or the latter will break also. 

Knock a cork off a bottle; an ordinary wine 
bottle or a wooden or metal one is dangerous if 

8 



114 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

hit, as causing the bullet to glance; it is better to 
have a plaster of Paris bottle, painted black. 

Put up a bunch of six grapes, and take them off 
one at a time. 

Put up candles and snuff them. 

Hit two balls simultaneously, one swinging past 
a stationary one, or both swinging from opposite 
ways. You have to take them just as one is 
about to cover the other. 

Have a ball swung round horizontally at great 
speed centrifugally from a small wheel spun by 
clockwork. This requires very good ^^ timing," 
you aiming at a side and pulling when the ball is 
at the opposite side, or you will be too late. Stand 
two balls with a steel knife-edge between them, 
vertically towards you and rather nearer to you 
than the balls. Hit the knife-edge in such a 
manner as to split the bullet in two pieces, which 
fly off and break the balls. The knife must be 
securely fastened, and the precise distance between 
the back of it and the balls (which varies according 
to the distance they are apart) must be determined 
by experiment. Trick shooters use shot for this 
instead of a bullet. 

Hitting an object with a paper on the muzzle 
hiding the mark. Cut a round hole, just big 
enough to slip over the muzzle, in a piece of thick 
paper the size of an ordinary envelope. Slip 



Stage Shooting 115 

this over the muzzle, up against the front sight. 
When taking aim, it will be found that with the 
left eye closed the paper hides the object. By- 
keeping both eyes open, however, shooting is 
easy, the right eye working the sights and the 
left seeing the object. The paper must not pro- 
ject much to the left, or it would hide your view 
with the left eye. 

Fix a nail slightly in a block of soft wood and 
drive it home with a shot. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

TRICK SHOOTING 

WE now come to the conjurer's style of shoot- 
ing, which I would not advise any one to 
practise, even for a Charity Bazaar; it will ruin 
his reputation as a shot. However, I will describe 
hereunder some of the devices in connexion with 
this trick shooting. 

The chief apparatus — under different forms — is 
a lever some twelve inches long. This lever is 
pivoted in its centre ; one end has a steel disk about 
a foot in diameter, or less, according to the shooter's 
skill — of a size he is sure of never missing, — the 
other end has a steel point at right angles. The 
lever is placed vertically at such a height that 
the steel spike is just opposite the middle of the 
ball which is placed on the assistant's head. The 
steel disk is some eight inches above the man's 
head; the whole of this apparatus is hidden from 
the audience behind the ''back-cloth" of the 
scenery. The locality of the disk is indicated to 

Ii6 



Trick Shooting 117 

the shooter by something in the scenery, as a 
pattern, or a trophy of flags, etc. 

The assistant stands with his back against the 
back-cloth, and the ball is on his head so that the 
steel spike is just clear of the middle of the ball; 
the shooter then fires at the trophy of flags, or 
what not (which is eight or more inches above the 
man's head, and therefore a practically easy and 
safe shot) ; the bullet hitting the disk, drives it 
back; the other end of the lever with the spike 
comes forward ; the spike goes through the scenery, 
breaks the ball, and at once returns out of sight. 
The trick is varied by having the lever inside a 
dummy figure, the performer shooting into the 
figure to break small objects on its head or in its 
mouth. A bellows is sometimes behind the back- 
cloth with the nozzle at the flame of a candle 
which is blown out when the bellows is hit; and 
the shooter is supposed to have snuffed the candle. 

The shooting can be done at quite long range 
from the back of the gallery to the back of the 
stage (for instance) by lengthening the lever so as 
to minimize risk to the assistant. 

Another way in which the candle trick is done, 
is to have each candle inside a large concave 
reflector; the splash from the bullet comes back 
from the reflector and puts out the candle. 

Shooting at anything moving — swinging balls, 



ii8 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

etc. — is done with shot; the shooting in this case 
must be done with a back-cloth over the butt, as 
the splashes on a naked steel plate would betray 
the use of shot. This makes very easy what in 
legitimate shooting requires nice ''timing.'' The 
cartridge is either simply filled with special shot 
even smaller than ''dust'' shot and a wad, or if 
the cartridges are likely to be seen they are loaded 
with hollow wooden black-leaded bullets, full of 
shot, which the rifling of the barrel breaks, and 
these are substituted by "palming" for real 
buUeted cartridges shown to the audience. Shot 
is sometimes fired out of a smooth bore revolver. 

Two balls are broken with a revolver in each 
hand, shot simultaneously. This is always con- 
sidered very wonderful, the performer pretending 
to take a long time over his aim, etc. One revol- 
ver is loaded with shot, the other with blank 
ammunition. The one loaded with shot is aimed 
between the two balls; the spread of shot breaks 
both balls. 

Knocking ashes off cigar whilst being smoked 
by assistant : A long hat-pin is put into the cigar, 
the point just reaching up to the ashes. On the 
shot — a blank cartridge — being fired, the assistant 
pushes the knob of the pin with his tongue, and 
dislodges the ashes. 

Objects held in the fingers or resting on the 



Trick Shooting 119 

shoulders of assistants are shot with cork or De- 
villiers bullets, and the assistant wears hidden steel 
epaulets and finger-tips. 

Blindfold shooting is done by seeing down the 
side of the nose on to a looking-glass fixed at an 
angle behind the hind sight. 

What is called shooting through a wedding- 
ring and breaking a ball is done with the lever 
apparatus; the bullet does not go through the 
ring, but above it. 

Shooting at the trigger of a loaded rifle fixed 
in a rest, the shot from the rifle breaking a ball 
on the shooter's head, is also another form of the 
lever apparatus. 

I think that in stage performances there should 
be a committee of shooting men appointed by the 
audience to see that the shooting is genuine and 
not trick shooting. 



CHAPTER XIX 

SHOOTING IN SELF-DEFENCE 

THIS chapter is written entirely from the 
technical point of view as a branch of pistol 
shooting, while the legal aspect of the question is 
treated by law experts in the Appendix of my 
larger treatise, The Art of Revolver Shooting, 
Fortunately, however, in the great majority of 
cases, the object of protecting oneself — or, what is 
more important, protecting someone else — is at- 
tained without actually shooting. The mere fact 
of being armed is generally sufficient, and in many 
cases wearing the revolver openly or having it in 
one's hand, even unloaded, suffices. As Polonius 
says: ''Beware of entrance to a quarrel, but being 
in, bear't that the opposed may beware of thee." 
But, if shooting has to be done, everything de- 
pends on getting the first shot. 

I am not dealing with the ethical aspect of the 
case; and, putting that aside, if you can take your 
adversary unawares, and ''get the drop on him" 

120 



Shooting in Self-Defence 121 

before he gets it on you, you have a great ad- 
vantage. 

A short-barrelled pistol is best if it has to be 
concealed, but of as big a calibre as you can carry 
without its being too bulky and showing in your 
pocket. If there is no necessity for concealment, 
carry one six inches in the barrel. 

Some prefer a large-bore army revolver, with 
the barrel cut down to two inches. I am assum- 
ing that the shooting will be done at a distance 
of only a few feet, and without aim in the ordinary 
sense of the word. 

It is very dangerous to carry an automatic pistol 
loaded in the pocket, unless it has a safety bolt. 

The proper way to carry a revolver (unless a 
''safety revolver'' is carried) is to leave one cham- 
ber unloaded, and lower the hammer on that empty 
chamber. The revolver here described obviates 
these risks. 

This is the Smith & Wesson .38 calibre safety 
hammerless pocket revolver. This revolver can- 
not go off accidentally, even when all the chambers 
are loaded, as there is a safety catch which pre- 
vents the revolver being discharged unless it is 
pressed at the same time that the trigger is pulled. 

Any one used to revolver shooting, who holds 
this revolver as I have described in my instructions 
for revolver shooting, and squeezes the trigger, will 



122 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

be able to shoot without thinking of the safety 
catch, for he presses it unconsciously in gripping 
the stock. A person not accustomed to a revolver 
cannot, however, fire it; in fact, if a man not an 
expert revolver-shot wrested the revolver from 
you, it would be harmless in his hands against 
you. Indeed, the pistol could without danger be 
given, loaded, to a small child to play with, as it 
requires a stronger grip than a child's to discharge 
it. 

Most revolver accidents occur either from the 
hammer receiving an accidental blow, slipping 
from the thumb, catching in something, or from 
the trigger being touched unintentionally, or the 
revolver being left at full-cock. 

In this Smith & Wesson safety revolver all 
these causes of accident are impossible, and it is 
always ready for instant use. Its further advan- 
tages are : 

1. There is no external hammer to catch in 
anything. 

2. Pressure on the trigger cannot discharge the 
revolver unless the stock is properly grasped at 
the same time. 

3. The revolver cannot be kept at full-cock. 

4. Being hammer less, and having no projec- 
tions, it can be drawn more quickly than an ordi- 
nary revolver. 



Shooting in Self-Defence 123 

5. It can be carried with absolute safety- 
loaded in the pocket, with the knowledge that a 
fall or blow will not discharge it. 

This revolver is also made in smaller calibre 
(.32), with both 3 in. and ij^ in. barrel. In the 
latter case it is called a bicycle revolver, and takes 
up less room in the pocket. 

This calibre might be better for a lady's use; 
but for a man I prefer the large calibre, as being 
more powerful. 

The cocking by trigger action in this revolver is 
so arranged that it can, with a little practice, be 
held at full-cock whilst the aim is taken, instead 
of the cocking and firing being a continuous 
action, as in other double-action revolvers. As 
to its accuracy I can put all the shots in a ''man*' 
target at twenty-five yards with it. 

Carrying the pistol in the hip pocket is in my 
opinion a mistake, as the movement of putting 
back the hand to draw will instantly put an ad- 
versary on his guard and most likely draw his fire. 

For a case where you are likely to be robbed, 
the inside breast-pocket (where bank-notes are 
usually carried) is a good place for the pistol, as, 
when you are asked for your money, you can ap- 
pear to be taking it out of this pocket whilst you 
are really drawing the pistol, or it can be shot 
from this pocket without drawing it. 



124 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

Usually the right-hand side-pocket of a jacket 
is the handiest, or, rather, the pocket on the side 
of the hand you can shoot with best. 

Shooting through the pocket is as quick and 
unexpected a way as any ; another is to turn partly 
away, and in doing so draw and fire from behind 
your back, or under your other arm. 

But, assuming that you would prefer, if possible, 
to capture your assailant without shooting him, 
try whether you cannot unexpectedly '^get the 
drop'' (i. e., an aim) on him, and make him hold 
up his hands before he can draw his revolver. 

As in fencing and boxing, the great thing is 
never to take your eyes off your opponent's for 
an instant ; and if by any subterfuge you can in- 
duce him to take his eyes off you, or distract his at- 
tention to anything else, then is the time to ''get 
the drop " on him, or, as a last resource, to shoot. 

Knocking a chair over, throwing something 
past or at him, with your non-shooting hand, or 
calling out to some imaginary, or real, person 
behind him may often have the desired effect. 

If he is a really ' ' bad ' ' man, and armed, the worst 
thing you can do is to take a pistol in your hand 
— or even make towards it — unless you mean to 
shoot instantly; it will only draw his fire, or he 
may unexpectedly disarm you in the way described 
below. 



Shooting in Self-Defence 125 

Supposing you are unarmed and your adversary 
has a pistol, you may be able to render his 
weapon harmless by ejecting his cartridges. This 
does not apply to an automatic pistol. 

The way to do this varies with different makes 
of revolvers, but the principle in each case consists 
in making a downward stroke on the barrel of his 
revolver with one of your hands, and in the same 
movement operating the opening catch or lever 
with your thumb. 

If you get an assistant to take an empty revol- 
ver and point it at you, and you practise this 
trick, you will find it very simple and effective, 
but of course there would be no use in trying it 
with an adversary who suspected you were about 
to do so. The Smith & Wesson Russian Model 
can be rendered harmless by seizing the middle of 
the barrel with your thumb under the catch, you 
being to the left and using your right hand, or 
vice versa. Simultaneously with seizing the re- 
volver give a quick quarter turn to your wrist 
to the right, and all the cartridges will fly out. 

With the Webley, you place your thumb over 
instead of under, the catch in seizing the revolver, 
and press your thumb towards the palm of your 
hand in making the wrench. 

With solid frame revolvers, like the new Colt 
and Smith & Wesson, you operate the catch, and 



126 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

instead of twisting your wrist, you push out the 
cyHnder with your first and second fingers, at 
the same time pushing the extractor plunger with 
your little finger, but this make of revolver is 
much m.ore difficult to disarm suddenly than 
those I have named above. 

With any hammer automatic pistol or revolver 
you can make it harmless by slipping your thumb 
under the hammer, or, in the case of a revolver, if 
you are strong in the grip, by holding the cylinder 
and preventing it revolving after the first shot is 
fired. 

I saw a very good suggestion in an article in an 
American paper — the writer's name I unfortu- 
nately forget — to the effect that it was an excel- 
lent thing, when expecting ^'trouble,'' to wear a 
big revolver ostentatiously and to have a smaller 
one in your hand, concealed under a cape, or 
otherwise; your adversary would think himself 
safe as long as he watched your big revolver and 
saw that you had not put your hand near it, whilst' 
all the time you would be ready to ''hold him up'' 
or shoot with the other pistol, the existence of 
which he would not suspect. 

If a burglar is in your house, do not carry a 
candle, as that makes you an easy target in case 
he should try to shoot at you. The pistol which 
is sighted by projecting a light would simply give 



Shooting in Self-Defence 127 

the enemy an easy aim. The iron rails of banisters, 
especially if they are wide, ornamental ones, are 
a good protection. A door is of no use (except 
for concealment before the man has seen you) , as a 
bullet with an ordinary charge will go through it. 

Use a light charge revolver (gallery ammunition 
by preference) for house protection ; with an au- 
tomatic pistol you may shoot some of your family 
through a thin wall when ''burglar-potting.'' 

Out-of-doors, too, a lamp-post, or other narrow 
object, will spoil a man's aim by making him try 
to hit that part of you which shows on either side 
instead of his having your full width to aim at, 
even if it is too narrow or small fully to protect 
you. 

It is better not to try to give him a small mark 
to aim at by standing sideways, as then, if he hits 
you, he will rake all through your vitals ; whereas, 
if you are facing him squarely, he may put several 
bullets into you without fatal effect. Holding 
your bent arm across your heart, and at the same 
time protecting your temples with the side of 
your pistol — which duellists do directly they have 
fired, — may be of some use; but it is better to 
depend upon hitting your adversary before he 
hits you. If he shoots and misses you, drop at 
once, as if hit, and he will probably pause and give 
you a chance to shoot. 



128 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

If a man does not look desperate and capable of 
continuing shooting till he is killed, if you can 
break his shooting wrist it may be sufficient; and 
if he should try to shift his pistol from the dis- 
abled hand to the other, you can break that 
also. 

Should you be mounted and your adversary 
afoot, jumping off and sheltering yourself behind 
your horse will protect you from a revolver-shot; 
but not an automatic pistol; also galloping hard 
at him and shouting may spoil his aim; but if he 
is cool he may take an easy shot at you when you 
are past and before you can turn. 

If a man is running away from, or coming at 
you, and has no firearm, you can make him helpless 
by shooting him in a leg ; a long crossing shot in a 
bad light would make the leg shot rather doubtful, 
unless there be time to have several tries. 

If a man absolutely has to be killed, it is better 
to shoot where the white shirt shows in evening 
dress. This is a bigger mark than the head, and 
he may, moreover, duck his head as you pull. 

The stomach shot is a murderous one, and would 
not be justifiable except under very rare circum- 
stances. A charging man at very close range would 
have the wind knocked out of him, and be stopped 
perhaps more effectually by this shot than any 
other. 



Shooting in Self-Defence 129 

If your opponent is a bad shot, you can take a 
long shot at him from a distance, say 120 yards, 
at which, if he has a cheap revolver, he cannot hit 
you except by a fluke. 

In fact, a bad shot armed with a pistol is less 
dangerous than a strong, determined man with a 
knife. It must be remembered that a knife can 
be thrown some distance, so it does not do to let 
a man with one in his hand, or even suspected of 
having one, come too close. 

A cartridge loaded with salt is a good man- 
stopper for burglars and has the advantage of not 
endangering life, but of course it is of no use against 
a determined man imless he is shot in the face; 
and in that case salt might do even more damage 
to his eyes than a bullet, and a bullet would be a 
more merciful load. 

The writer of a small pamphlet entitled Self- 
Defence says that to put the pistol beside the head 
of the bed, or under the pillow, is to court being 
disarmed during your sleep, and recommends 
having it between the mattresses, handy to your 
reach, or in a padded bag hanging at the side of 
your bed under the sheets, the object of the pad- 
ding being to prevent the pistol making a noise 
against the bed when you are drawing it. 

This is all very well if you remember to take 
out the pistol each morning; if you forget, and the 



130 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

housemaid makes up the bed roughly, there may 
be trouble. 

It also advises rolling under a bed or sofa as a 
precaution when exchanging shots. 

Make sure that nobody can tamper with your 
pistol or cartridges. I knew of a case in which a 
muzzle-loading revolver was kept loaded in an 
imlocked box at the side of the bed. When there 
was a burglary in the house, this revolver was 
found to have been dipped in water and thus 
rendered useless! 



CHAPTER XX 

SHOOTING IN THE DARK 

THERE are occasions on which it is necessary 
to shoot at night, as for a night-watchman; 
or in the case of a wild animars jumping into camp 
and carrying off someone; or in night attacks. 
For this work, an exceptionally large dead white 
front sight (either a fixed one or an adjustable 
one on a hinge) is needful. This sort of sight, 
though, can only be seen if there is moonlight, or 
at least some glimmer of light. 

In pitch-darkness, a large front sight with both 
itself and the rib of the barrel coated with lumi- 
nous paint is useful, provided the pistol is, for 
several hours previous to being used, exposed to 
strong sunlight. If it is kept all day in a case or 
holster, the paint will not shine at night. Also, 
in cleaning the pistol, the paint may be spoilt 
and may require renewing. I would not advise 
painting any pistol you care about. 

The most satisfactory way is to learn to shoot 
in the dark by the sense of direction, by pointing 

131 



132 Automatic Pistol Shooting 

your pistol in the direction in which you con- 
jecture the object to be, not attempting to see 
your sights or to '^draw a bead/' 

One can often see an animal on a very dark 
night by crouching down and getting it against 
the sky-line; and yet, on looking through the 
sights, you cannot discern anything. 

One form of practice is to have a target made of 
tissue paper, with a candle behind it to illuminate 
it. The sights are consequently seen in silhouette 
against it. This was the principle of the ''Owl" 
series of prizes shot for in the early days of Wim- 
bledon in the evenings. What I think better, so 
as to teach shooting by sense of direction, is to 
have one or more metal targets about a foot square 
hung by wires (these will give out a ringing sound 
when struck, and the rest of the butt should be 
of sand, or sods, or wood, so as to make a different 
sound). Have a small sleigh-bell hung behind 
the middle of each target, operated by strings held 
by an assistant standing behind you. 

Now, let him ring the bells at random, you 
firing by sense of direction towards where you 
hear each bell ring. 

This practice can also be done in a shooting- 
gallery at night with all the lights turned down, 
and it is perhaps safer there than out-of-doors. 

You can even have targets behind you, and 



Shooting in the Dark 133 

swing round and ''snap*' at them; but this, and 
in fact all night shooting, is very dangerous, unless 
you can be absolutely certain that the bullets 
will do no damage, however wildly they may fly. 

A man with a good ear can do surprisingly 
accurate work in this style of shooting. 

Such practice can be done in daylight by being 
blindfolded; and then your assistant can notice 
where your misses go, and help you to improve 
your shooting. 



THE ART OF REVOLVER 
SHOOTING 

By WALTER WINANS 

Chevalier of the Imperial Order of St. Stanislas of Russia 
Vice-President of the National Rifle Association of Great Britain 

With nearly 200 Illustrations from Original Draw- 
ings by the author, and from Photographs specially 
taken for the book. Royal 8vo, handsomely printed, 
and bound in cloth extra, gilt top, uncut edges. 
Price, $S^oo net. 

Mr. Walter Winans, the well-known champion re- 
volver-shot, has been for many years working out the 
theory and practice of revolver-shooting, and this is the 
first occasion of his publishing the collected results of 
his close study of the weapon. 

Although several chapters of the book give minute 
instructions as to how to shoot in order to win prizes at 
the Bisley meeting, the author has not neglected the 
more general and practical side of the subject, and even 
such matters (hitherto regarded in the light of pro- 
fessional secrets) as trick- and stage-shooting, shooting 
in the dark, etc., are treated in detail not previously 
attempted, while a chapter on how to use the revolver 
(as distinct from target shooting) in warfare, has a 
present interest that must appeal to many. 

New York— Q, P. PUTNAM'S SONS — London 



By Walter Winans 

Hints on Revolver Shooting 

With 20 Illustrations specially prepared for the book* 
I2\ Cloth. $1.00 net. By mail, $1.15 

" A thoroughly practical and helpful book, apparently 
written with the idea of imparting to those who aspire to 
excel with the revolver the knowledge that the author has 
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produced a book of standard value." — Shooting and 
Fishing. 

Practical Rifle Shooting 

With Frontispiece. 12^. Cloth. 50 cents net. 
By mail, 60 cents 

" Mr. Winans is one of the world's most expert marks- 
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the veriest tyro may make himself proficient as a rifle 
shot." — Lloyd's Weekly News. 

" It K short and well to the point ; for the soundness 
of the advice offered the author^s name is ample warrant.'* 
— Oxford Magazine. 

Shooting for Ladies 

With 15 Illustrations. /2°. Cloth. 50 cents. 
fip mail, 60 cents 

Mr. Winans, who is the world's champion double- 
rifle shot, believes that with light modem rifles and re- 
volvers ladies can make excellent scores in target shooting 
without fatigue or danger of injury. This volume is 
addressed to beginners as well as to expert shots. 

New York G. P. Putnam'S Sons London 



By Walter Winans 



The Art of Revolver Shooting 

Together with all Information Concernini{ the Automatic and 

the Single-Shot Pistol and How to Handle them 

to the Best Advantage 

New Edition Revised and Enlarged 

Very fully Illustrated from Original Photographs 
by Rouch^ Fry^ Purdey^ Penfold and Others^ 
and Head- and Tail-pieces from Drawings by 
the author. 

Royal S°, handsomely printed^ and bound in 
cloth extray gilt top^ uncut edges. $5.00 net. 
Carriage 40 cents. 

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United Service Magazine. 

The Sporting Rifle 

The Shooting of Big amd Little Game 

To|{ether with a Description of the Principal Classes of 
Sporting Weapons 

With about 125 Illustrations from Original 
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Mr. Winans has earned for himself an international reputation on the 
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tions at moving targets. Besides illustrating the various makes of rifles, 
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plans giving directions how to post the guns for Deer Driving, and how 
to manoeuvre the beaters is also featured in this important work. The 
natural history is illustrated by a series of photographs taken from life 
by H. Penfold. 

New York C. P. Putnam'S Sons London 



Animal Sculpture 

Suggestions for Greater Realism in 
Modeling 

By Walter Winans 

Gold Medallist for Sculpture, Fifth Olympiad, 
Stockholm, 1912. Grand Prix for Sculpture, Milan, 
1912. Grand Prix for Sculpture, Barcelona, 1912. 
Silver Medal for Sculpture, Paris, 1900. 

S"". 26 Illustrations. $1.75 net 

Although perhaps better known as a rifle and re- 
volver shot and as the author of many informmg books 
on different kmds of shooting, Mr. Winans is a sculptor 
of distinction, having been awarded gold and silver 
medals for his statues of horses. In the present volume 
Mr. Wmans reproduces illustrations of many familiar 
masterpieces of animal sculpture, showing that many of 
them, although superficially effective, are marred by 
serious faults of conception and execution. 

^P^ Putnam's Sons 

New Ya?k / y London 



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